Mirage
by Meztli14
Summary: Civil War AU. If Wanda only had herself to look out for, the Accords wouldn't seem so terrifying. Everything changes when they're after your child too. Part 1 in Mirage series.
1. Chapter 1

**I have no idea what I'm doing. This came to me a few days ago but not really sure how it's gonna go. It shouldn't be very long, maybe five or six chapters. But there's also the possibility of a sequel or just adding a part two to this fic. Also, if you've read my other fic jinXed, it'll be a little like that. Giving you clues. Also words in quotation marks and underlined is telepathy. And the italics in this chapter is the Sokovian language.**

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~The screams. Echoing. High pitched and in fear.~

 _"…_ The Wakandans were in Nigeria for an outreach program…"

~There's blood, thick, plentiful. It clogs the lungs, lingers in the mouth with a metallic aftertaste. She wants to throw up.~

"…people's blood spilled on foreign soil…"

~She tries to help but they scatter away from her. Every face is terrified. Looking at her with fear, horror as if she was a monster.~

"The question is what needs to be our response to the Avengers? They have no regard for the laws of society. They operate outside and above international law. If we don't respond that is our new reality. Who gave an enhanced like Wanda Maximoff, who if you may remember is not even a US citizen, legal authority to operate in Nige-"

 _"The first words out of your mouth better not be, 'it's my fault.'"_

The words are spoken in familiarity but also for security purposes. There are only two people who speak Sokovian on the compound. Well two and a half. Old habits were hard to shake off. Even with the television turned off she could still remember the video clips, could still remember seeing the carnage up close in her memories. _"If you turn the TV back on you can clearly see how specific they are being."_

Finally she looked away from the darkened screen, seeing him standing in her doorway. Blue eyes watched her in concern. _"I should have been there."_

She let out a breath. _"You knew it was my turn."_

It's a deal between the pair. Unless they are specifically needed, the two of them trade off missions, one of them needed at the base. The reason for this pact started stirring awake in Pietro's arms as he walked into Wanda's room.

She held out her arms, cradling the child as her brother gently passed her over. The baby, a little over a year and a half, smiled at Wanda and reached out an arm to grab Wanda's hair.

The Sokovian gently touched the child's hand. _"No, Jamie, we've talked about this. You know you can not grab people's hair. It is painful for them and dangerous for you."_

Jamie stared at her, eyes a calm steel blue, seeming to absorb the words before she released her grip. _"Sorry Ma."_

Wanda smiled at the Sokovian endearment. Jamie squirmed in her arms and the young mother released her child, watching the curly-haired toddler jump off her lap to the ground, landing lightly on her feet and walking over to her small book case.

The pair of twins were silent, watching the youngest pull out a book and collapse gracefully to the floor, flipping the book open and starting to read.

 _"It wasn't your fault."_

Wanda sighed. _"I lifted it in the air, right next to a building filled with people. I should have known better. How is that not my fault?"_

Pietro growled in frustration, arms crossed as he stood before her. _"As opposed to the large crowd on the street? Besides, people like that, like those on the news, they don't understand the situation. They think it's a simple decision but that is far from it. I don't hear them talking about the dangerous biological weapon that could have killed thousands, maybe millions. They don't care about that. They don't understand. Civilians. People that have not seen war. They don't know anything."_

"I may not speak Sokovian…" Wanda and Pietro both looked up, seeing Steve in the doorway. He gave them a slight smile. "…but I'm pretty sure he's saying the same thing everyone in the compound is thinking. It's not your fault Wanda."

"Salut oncle Steve." Jamie waved at the Avengers leader as she smiled, the left side of her lips quirking up just a bit more. The words were the same every time she saw Steve and Wanda had asked what she was saying. Hi Uncle Steve. It made Wanda smile every time.

Steve waved back, smiling and replying in the same language. "Salut Jamie."

That was one thing Wanda was intent upon. That Jamie learn all she can, one of those aspects being different languages. She already spoke Sokovian and Russian but was now learning French from both Steve and Natasha. Tony had been teaching her Italian but he'd been spending more time at his company so Natasha had taken on that mantle as well. After French, German was next according to Steve. Wanda herself didn't know French or German but she trusted Steve not to teach her daughter bad things. It was Natasha and Tony she had to watch.

Pietro arched an eyebrow at her before blurring over to sit next to his niece on the floor, leaving Wanda to face the Captain alone.

"May I?" Steve waved a hand around the opened doorway. She gave a nod of permission and he made his way to her side, settling next to her on the mattress. Before he could speak Wanda glanced over at Jamie.

 _"Jamie."_

The toddler and her uncle both looked up but only the child reacted when Wanda tapped her own ears. The little girl nodded and pressed the heels of her hands against her ears, starting to sing an old Sokovian song that Wanda and Pietro's mother use to sing to them. She would continue to sing more songs until she was told that it was okay. The noise would cancel out the talk the adults in the room were about to have.

Steve took that as his cue. "It was my fault. I was right there. I should have checked the vest, dealt with it before I did anything else, long before you had to. As soon as Rumlow said his name, I was gone. Sixteen years old, back in Brooklyn. That lapse cost people their lives. Their lives are mine, on me."

"It's on both of us."

 _"Wanda…"_ Pietro huffed at her but she ignored him.

"Listen Wanda, you too Pietro. Both of you. This job…being an Avenger. We try to save as many people as we can. And sometimes we can't save everybody. But if we can't accept that truth, learn to live with it, we might not be able to save anybody next time."

 _"It's true Wanda. You know this."_ Pietro's voice was soft, giving her a quick sad smile. She did know. It was how all this began, back in their home country. Sudden movement to her far left and narrowing of Pietro's eyes told her what had just happened. Both her and Steve looked over as Vision finished solidifying after morphing through the wall.

 _"Damn Toaster."_

 _"Pietro."_ Wanda gave a quick scolding to her brother before turning to Vision. "Vis, we talked about this."

"Yes, Vision. We certainly did." Pietro was on his feet, tone agitated and sarcastic with his arms crossed. Jamie was also up, standing next to her uncle but giving a tiny glare to the third man in the room. The first time Vision had done this was late in the evening. They had been getting ready for bed when Vision had shimmered through their wall. It had startled Wanda, letting out a small gasp of surprise but Jamie had been terrified.

It was her screaming that alerted Pietro from down the hall. He'd blurred into the room only to find Vision in his sister's room, said sister dressed in a tank top and sleeping shorts. There had been lot of angry Sokovian swear words thrown around that night, ending with a diverted fist fight. Since than Pietro treated Vision with barely veiled hate. Jamie also shared the same thinking.

 _"Stupid Toaster man."_

"Jamie." Wanda gave her child a narrowed look but she knew the stern scold wouldn't last. Her daughter remembered everything and held grudges. She still hadn't forgiven Clint for smearing frosting on her face on her first birthday.

"Yes, we had but the door was open so I assumed…"

Steve intervened, to keep the argument from escalating. "What's going on Vision?"

The android paused, seeming confused about the change in topics before continuing, "You wanted to know when Mister Stark arrived."

Steve nodded. "Thanks." He looked at the other two. "We'll be right down."

"I'll use the door."

Pietro started to nod, slight mocking tone entering his voice. "Yes, it's a good idea. Very smart of you."

 _"Pietro stop."_

"Oh, and he's brought a guest with him."

Wanda shared a look of confusion with her twin before Steve spoke up for the three of them. "Who is it?"

"The Secretary of the State."

Wanda's eyes widen, looking down at Jamie before turning to Pietro. They were here for her, she knew it. He shook his head.

 _"They will have to kill me first before I let them lay a hand on you or Jamie. And that is only after I kill as many as I can."_

Pushing back her fear, Wanda went to Jamie and lifted her daughter into her arms, needing to reassure herself with her child's baby scent. _"I know."_

Steve glanced at them, knowing they were having a conversation only they could hear but he seemed to know what Wanda was worried about. "Nothing is gonna happen. I'm gonna head down, I'll see you two there."

The taller man left but Wanda wasn't completely convinced by Pietro and Steve's words. She knew things were going to get worse.

 _"Wanda?"_

Pietro's voice brought her back to the present and she took in a deep breath, giving Jamie a kiss on her forehead. "Sweetheart, it's time to play Wonderland. Okay?"

Jamie perked up at the word, her eyes calm and serious as she studied her mother. She nodded. _"Okay Ma."_

"F.R.I.D.A.Y?"

"Yes Wanda?"

"Initiate Protocol Looking Glass."

***Mirage***

It was worse. Definitely worse. Wanda was silent, leaning back in the chair, running her fingers gently through Jamie's hair while the little girl was draped on her chest, reciting her English ABC's quietly to herself. Steve was reading the large document that Ross had left behind while Natasha and Tony were silent on the sides. The only voices in the room, Sam's and Colonel Rhodes', were biting at each other along with Pietro jumping in here and there.

"…has a Congressional Medal of Honor which is one more than-"

"That means nothing. He is also the man who hunted down your friend, yes? The doctor. Probably still hunting him." Pietro stood next to Sam, glaring at the military man. "You seem to have forgotten that he was the one behind the thing about Harlem. And you want us to hand ourselves over to him?"

Sam jumped in. "Not only that, say we do sign, how long before they LoJack us? Inject us with some kind of tracker? Give us our very own ID number? Hmm? It all sounds familiar."

"A hundred and seventeen countries want to sign this. A hundred and seventeen. But no, you two just wanna ignore that?"

Pietro's voice turned mocking, angry. "As far as I'm concerned, that's a hundred and seventeen governments all wanting a hand on the leash."

"I have an equation."

"Oh this will clear it up."

 _"Yes, let us hear what the microwave has to say."_

Wanda didn't have the strength to scold her brother but considering he spoke in Sokovian, she let it past. Everyone glanced over at Vision sitting in the far end of the room.

He began speaking but Pietro's voice weaved into her mind. _"Are you thinking about what I said?"_

Wanda turned her head slightly in Pietro's direction, to let him know she was listening. _"Honestly, yes."_

It was something Pietro had been talking about for a few months now and it seemed like it would be her only option. To follow after Clint.

"Are you saying it's our fault?"

Pietro spoke right after Steve. "World ending events are not a result of us. We are a result of them. More than seventy years ago Hydra almost took over. They nearly did. There would be no you or any of us, if it hadn't been for Steve. Hydra was there before Steve ever changed into Captain America."

Vision tried to placate the room. But he only seemed to agitated Pietro more with the oversight comment.

"You mean like the governments of the one hundred and seventeen countries that want to sign the Accords? The same governments that no doubt may be corrupt. Or are you talking about how Hydra disguised as Shield almost killed millions of people two years ago. I know corrupt governments, it's the world Wanda and me lived in for years. Because of that I don't trust anyone. Who I do trust are the people in this room, but I feel like that is changing."

It was quiet before Natasha pointed out how silent Tony was. Which Steve then pointed out that Tony had made up his mind about the Accords. Wanda watched as Tony worked his way about the kitchen, muttering about coffee grinds before showing the group a holographic photo of a young man a several years younger than Wanda and her brother.

He then explained how intelligent and kind Charles was. And how the Avengers had killed him during the fight with Ultron.

 _"He sure knows how and where to throw his punches."_

 _"Pietro."_

Her brother, mercifully, stayed silent as Tony and Steve traded blows. The Colonel joined in as well. Again, Pietro stayed quiet, even though Wanda could hear the angry, biting commentary running through his head as the others talked. She understood each of their sides but really, the only person who would decide her fate was the one quietly whispering her numbers in Sokovian against Wanda's neck.

"If we don't do this now, sign now, it's not gonna matter because it'll only be done to us later. That's a fact. And that won't be pretty."

Wanda's hands tightened around her daughter's back. "You mean to say that they'll come for me." And when they did, they would find Jamie.

"We would protect you."

Vision's statement was quickly shot down. Pietro stepped forward, his emotions causing his accent to grow heavier, "Oh yes, it's beautiful sentiment. Only too bad you signed Accords. Like Steve said, you don't have right to choose anymore. If they tell you, capture Scarlet Witch, you do it. If they tell you to take Jamie away and give her to scientists so they can study, you do it."

"They wouldn't-"

Pietro spun on Rhodes. "Yes they would. Did you read Accords closely? Enhanced. You all know. Jamie is not even two years of age and she runs and plays like she is seven. She is getting physically stronger every day. It took her not three months to learn Russian. She knows all her numbers and can read in three different languages so far. I caught her writing her own name last week. She is enhanced. But they won't care. They will doing testing and they will give her bracelet to wear, to track her every movement. Like criminal."

"Excuse me." Wanda's voice cracked as she suddenly stood up, unable to listen anymore. She clutched Jamie against her, moving around the coffee table and pushing past Sam and Colonel Rhodes.

She couldn't listen any more. Not when she knew that was her child's future. Pietro was right about that.

There was really only one decision. They had just gotten their freedom, she was not about to volunteer herself or her daughter to another Hydra.

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 **Yeah, I have no idea what I'm doing. Also you're probably thinking what the Hell? Pietro's alive? There will be flashbacks or comments about him, about Jamie. To let you know why they are in the fic. It'll make more sense as I go. I obviously couldn't pick his name as a character for the list thing because it's the Captain America** **category. Peace out. -Mez**


	2. Chapter 2

**Still have no idea what I'm doing. I think just getting this out of my head helps. Yay for my first review who happened to be a guest. Even then, thanks homie, whoever and wherever you are!** _Spoken Sokovian_ **,** _Sokovian spoken mentally_ **. Now onward!**

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Keeping Jamie distracted was a complex task. It depended on whether she allowed herself to be distracted, and even then it was because she was humoring the person. She knew something was wrong, had seen and heard the others arguing with each other. She'd stayed quiet when Wanda had taken her back to their room. The young mother could feel her daughter's gaze on her back while Wanda had paced or wiped the mascara that had run from her tears.

Wanda had only been in her room for an hour when she realized she really needed to talk to Steve. She needed to know how long she had before they came to the compound looking for her. She needed time to plan. Wanda had scooped Jamie up and tracked down the Captain but had hesitated when feeling the waves of sorrow coming off their leader.

She'd knocked on the door of his room, keeping to the hallway in case he hadn't wanted company but he'd quickly ushered her in, wiping away traces of the tears that had trailed down his face. But he hadn't fooled Wanda. Or Jamie.

The little girl had squirmed in her arms asking to be let down, which was granted, and then she'd ran straight for Steve, wrapping her arms around his legs. They'd spoke back and forth in French, ending with Jamie saying something that made Steve smile and bend down to give her a hug. Wanda had asked what'd happened, only to be told that he had gotten notification that Peggy had died and her funeral was in three days.

It was a few months after Wanda and her family had joined the others in the US that Steve and herself started to talk about their pasts. She told him about living with her parents and Pietro. About living at the orphanage until they had ran away and lived on the streets for years. In turn Steve told her about growing up sick and skinny in Brooklyn with his friend James or Bucky as Steve called him. How he'd wanted to join the war along side his best friend only to be rejected over and over again. How he was given a chance to help and fight. All the good he'd done with Bucky and the Howling Commandos. And he talked about Peggy. Wanda could tell Steve had loved Peggy just by the tone of his voice.

And recently, just a few months back, Wanda had taken Jamie to the exhibit in Washington to show the toddler their Captain and his friends. She'd asked Steve if it was okay and he'd told her it was fine, with a smile on his face.

She'd pointed out each of the Commandos by name and showed her daughter pictures of Bucky, the best friend from the stories Uncle Steve told the child about. The video of Steve and Bucky smiling and laughing together had gotten a big response. Jamie had stared at the video, steel blue eyes intent. Her lips had widened into a joyous smile and she'd laughed, throwing herself toward the screen with open arms. Only Wanda's firm grip kept the child upright. The young Sokovian mother had taken a video with her phone so Jamie could re-watch it as much as she wanted.

The video of Peggy was incredible. Seeing such a powerful, confident woman let Wanda believe in herself. That she could do something for this world other than the destruction Hydra had wanted her to cause. She could also see why Steve loved such a woman. She'd returned to the compound invigorated.

Now, months later, and she was falling apart. Today was Peggy's funeral, the event underway a couple of hours ago. It was also the day the UN would ratify the Accords. Before she'd decided anything, she'd wanted to talk to Steve but with everything going on, she might not have much of a choice. If she could wait until Steve got back, it would help but really her fate was decided when that…man walked into her home.

Jamie and herself were in their room, Wanda relaxing on her bed while Jamie was seated at her child size table, three hundred piece puzzle scattered in front of her. They were gonna have to go up in count again. Jamie was strategic in her approach. She'd immediately assembled the edges and was now working her way inward.

Pietro's words from a few days ago echoed in her head as she watched her daughter. Jamie held up a piece, barely glancing at it before immediately snapping it into its proper place. There was no denying it. Jamie was enhanced. But of course that was the point of her existence.

Hydra had been starting to worry about having adult weapons, with strong wills. Children had been their next step. But snatching a child from their family was too open, which would no doubt cause law enforcement to keep a closer eye on everything. Grabbing an orphaned child off the streets could be just as problematic as an adult. They were too jaded to listen to grown ups, too much fight. Growing your own weapon, however, had shown promise. The fact that they had their own enhanced female only urged them on. They were curious if synthetic or, in Wanda's case, alien-made enhancements could be passed onto offspring.

Wanda shook her head to dispel the memories.

 _"Wanda, come quickly."_

The urgency in Pietro's tone of thought had the young mother up and grabbing her daughter, hurrying from her room toward the conference room they had all sat in days before.

Vision and Pietro were both there, one of the very rare times she'd seen Pietro willingly in the android's presence outside of a mission, the pair of them looking at the large TV screen.

"Oh my God." A building had been torn apart, law enforcement and medics scurrying about. The memory from the months prior tried come forward but Wanda pushed it back. The news anchor was saying how a bomb had gone off at the UN, killing several people, including King T'Chaka. It was his country that had lost a few people in Nigeria last month. "What happened? Has someone checked in with the others? Natasha?"

"Although she was close to the blast, Miss Romanoff only sustained minor injuries. Mister Stark and Colonel Rhodes are on their way there now. Both Misters Wilson and Rogers are aware of the situation." Wanda nodded at Vision's words, eyes not leaving the screen.

 _"Wanda, this is not good. They will take this as an attack on the Accords. We don't have much time."_

Wanda gave a small nod. _"I know. I will pack a bag later."_ Her brother had already made up his mind and so had Wanda. Her child came first.

 _"When do you want to leave? In a few hours? In the dead of night?_

Wanda glanced over at Pietro who only arched an eyebrow at her in question. _"In a few days, when everyone gets back."_

 _"A few days? We may not have that much time. We need to leave as soon as possible. Call Clint, we can stay with him for a bit."_

 _Please Pietro? They deserve our goodbyes."_

He was quiet before he muttered in her mind. _"Fine."_

"This just in: The CIA have released this video of the bomber. Suspect James Buchanan Barnes…"

The words faded away as Wanda stared, her hands tightening around Jamie as footage of a man dress in black crossed the screen. The background seemed to be in some kind of parking garage, the man's expression calm and cool as he stared at the camera. The Winter Soldier. Bucky, Steve's best friend since they were children. James.

 _"Wanda?_

Something was wrong. The news replayed the video.

 _"Wanda. Are you listening to me?"_

James. James would not do this. The video showed again, calm stare into the camera. Wrong. It was all wrong. The video again. James.

 _"Wanda?!"_

Pietro's mental yell broke the spell and she jolted. Both men were staring at her but she only spared them a glance before looking to the TV but the video was gone now, only showing a still picture of the only other man out of time besides Steve. This was wrong. All wrong.

"I need to go." She ignored Vision's polite yet concerned curiosity and Pietro's more demanding thoughts being yelled at her. She couldn't stay. She needed to call Steve. She made it back to her room, locking the door behind her. Pietro would not come in if the door was locked and Vision knew the rules regarding privacy.

 _"Mama?"_

Wanda had blocked Jamie's hearing and turned her away from the TV just moments ago, to keep her from seeing Bucky as someone bad. According to Uncle Steve Bucky was an amazing, kind, and invincible man. Wanda was not going to ruin that image for her child. She placed Jamie back in her chair. _"Mama's going to call Uncle Steve about something really important. Can you do your earmuffs?"_

Jamie, confused and concerned, hesitated for a few seconds but did as she was told, covering her ears and starting to sing to herself.

Wanda stood and grabbed the cell phone from the side table. "F.R.I.D.A.Y?"

"Yes, Wanda?"

"Initiate Ear Muff Protocol."

"Yes Wanda."

The Sokovian female waited a few seconds before checking. "F.R.I.D.A.Y?"

The room was silent.

Finding Steve's contact information in her cell, Wanda started to pace again as she waited for the call to connect.

"Wanda?"

"Steve! He didn't do it. James. Bucky. He didn't do it, he wouldn't." Wanda hoped he believed her.

"How can you be sure?"

Wanda started waving her hand about, emphasizing as she spoke. "Hydra trained him to be covert, yes? To be in the shadows, never seen. But that video that's suppose to be him? No, it is wrong. You and Sam have looked for him for two years and couldn't find him. But this? Letting yourself be captured on film, looking right at camera. It's wrong. That is not him. Think about it, please."

Steve sighed. "Don't worry Wanda. I knew it wasn't him from the beginning."

Wanda sat heavily on the bed, her movement catching Jamie's attention but the little girl kept singing. "So what happens now? How many people are after him?"

"Right now there's about seven billion people looking for Buck. I gotta get to him first."

"Do you know where to start?"

"Sam and me got a general idea where to look so we're on our way there now. Has Jamie seen the news?"

Wanda could hear how unsure and somewhat scared Steve sounded. He didn't want Jamie to hate or fear Bucky for his unwilling past as the Winter Soldier. "No. I haven't let her see or hear anything."

Another sigh from the other end. "Thanks Wanda."

"It's okay. I understand. Good luck."

"Thanks, I'll be in touch."

The line disconnected and Wanda let herself fall back onto her mattress. She took in a deep breath before looking over at Jamie. Her curly haired daughter was still singing, hands pressing on her ears but steel blue eyes watched her carefully. Wanda tapped her own ears and Jamie dropped her arms. The toddler immediately got up from her chair and climbed onto the bed, curling herself against Wanda's side.

 _"Is Uncle Steve okay?"_

Wanda turned on her side, pulling her small daughter closer, her nose buried in the girl's hair, breathing in the scent of baby shampoo and something entirely just Jamie. _"I hope so."_

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 **Yep, not sure how this is gonna go. But I did drop several clues in this chapter. Things will become more apparent as we go. Let me know what you think. Peace out homies. -Mez**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three! These are short chapters but that's kinda of the point. It'll be quick. I wanna give a shout out to ThePrinceAlwaysGetsTheGirl and dhnysports88 for following and favoriting. And yes, most of this is from the movie. So sue me, it's not mine anyway. Quick reminder,** _Spoken Sokovian_ **,** _Mental Sokovian_ **.** **Let's keep going.**

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A full twenty four hours had past already and Wanda had yet to hear from Steve or Sam about the search for James. The anxiety was running rampant. She was tempted to try and call them but she knew doing that could be bad. If they happened to be doing something dangerous or stealthy she didn't want it to distract them or get them caught. She would hope they let her know if they found Steve's friend. She knew what would happen if they didn't get to him first. She also refused to acknowledge that particular scenario.

So she'd kept herself busy. She'd cleaned, ran around with her daughter outside and played in the pool both days. Today, once cleaning off the chlorine from her child she'd prepared some light snacks for Jamie. Her brother was mysteriously absent most of the day, but she knew he was checking and re-checking different paths they might have to take in the event that they needed to leave quickly. He was not happy about staying a few days but she promised herself that if Steve didn't return in two more days she would leave with her daughter and Pietro.

After lunch Jamie took her nap which provided Wanda the perfect time to pack a bag. She had her go-bag, for when she needed to leave immediately on a mission, but also a larger duffle bag. This one she packed with more clothes, essentials. Having spent time living on the streets with her brother she knew which items and clothes were priority. Under things ranked higher than pants or shirts, though the few shirts, pants, and jackets she did pack were made of tougher material, durable and less prone to tear.

If she had to guess, she would say seventy percent of the bag belonged to Jamie. Like with her own wardrobe she picked pants, jackets, shirts and footwear that were tough and would last longer. As much as she didn't want to, she's packed a few toys and items that would hopefully keep Jamie busy, a difficult task given her high intellect.

One thing she did pack was a small yet highly efficient first aid kit along with antibacterial disposable body wipes that they sometimes used on missions. Once again her past experiences taught her that she may not have access to a bath or shower of some type. Thus the wipes. She finished and stashed the bags away in her large closet where she knew Pietro could find them. Considering how fast he was, he would be the one to grab their bags if they needed to make a get away.

It was a little after one that Jamie woke up from her nap and Wanda whisked her out to see what Pietro and Vision were doing. Her brother was once again running around the compound, finding spots of weakness and seeing who would be around for the day. Usually the other employees went home around five, leaving the Avengers the only ones on the grounds but with everything that was happening Pietro wanted to make sure of who was coming and going.

 _"Shall we go see what Vision is doing?"_

Wanda's answer got a shrug and a slightly disgruntle look from Jamie. With her daughter's dislike of the android and her general post-nap grumpiness the Sokovian mother was sure that this interaction would fail but Jamie was fairly well-behaved around Vision, mostly because she didn't want to get scolded by Wanda. The curly-haired toddler treated him with indifference and slight mumbles under her breath. She was never loud enough to be properly heard by Wanda or any of the other Avengers, thus she couldn't be reprimanded by them. Wanda was certain she did it on purpose.

Together they found Vision in the kitchen cooking, something Wanda had never seen him do. It made her slightly hesitant but she kept going. The smell was familiar as she got nearer, setting her daughter in one of the stools at the island. Granted it was highly dangerous to place a child Jamie's age in something that wasn't a highchair made for babies but as they had discovered in the past none of the normal human child standards applied to the girl.

"Is that paprikash?" No wonder it smelled familiar, her mother made it often in her childhood but in regards to Vision's version the scent was a bit off.

"I thought it might lift your spirits."

With everything that was happening Wanda was indeed high strung, worried about several things at once. She resolved to hide it better. Stepping into the kitchen she grabbed a paper plate and poured out some Goldfish crackers from a cabinet for Jamie, placing it in front of her. While her daughter nibbled, gray-blue eyes watching Vision's every move, she gave the simmering pot a stir, bringing the spoon close. A few blows of air cooled it enough for her to taste and she sipped at the sauce. Definitely not paprikash.

It was a noble try on his part. She nodded, giving a soft smile. "Spirits lifted."

"In my defense, I've never actually cooked or eaten anything before…"

"May I?"

Vision gave up quickly, retreating to the end of the kitchen counter while she studied the herbs and spices he had gathered around. Jamie was still eating, her head turning to keep sight of the brightly colored man.

"Wanda?"

The Sokovian female hummed at his voice, adding a green dried herb to the sauce. Hopefully that would counteract the overabundance of the other spices used.

"No one dislikes you Wanda."

Looking up she crinkled an eyebrow in slight confusion, casting a glance at Jamie who seemed rather offended by Vision. For being so young she actually understood how Vision talked, more so than some of the other Avengers. "Thank you." It was all Wanda could say to his particular comment.

"Oh you're welcome. It's actually an involuntary response in their amygdala. They can't help but be afraid of you."

Her stirring paused, lips turned downward. Jamie looked highly affronted at his words, completely abandoning her crackers in favor of giving Vision her best glare. On her daughter it was adorable. The older, masculine, version was anything but.

She started to stir again. "Isn't every one?"

"Well, I have a synthetic amygdala so…"

She smiled at his attempt but it didn't do much. People could be afraid of her, she would deal with it, but in extension people would be afraid of Jamie. And she didn't want her child to be scared.

"You know, before Strucker, before this…" She lifted a hand, letting the red wispy vapor dance around her knuckles before calling it back into her body, "I use to be sure of who I was. But afterward, I'm not so sure. I became something…else. I am still me, I still hate moths and love eating bananas with peanut butter. But others don't see that. And they won't see it in Jamie."

The girl in question was still glaring but this time her eyes were bouncing back and forth between her mother and Vision, taking in the conversation.

Vision nodded at her words, than pressed fingers to his forehead. "Thor called this an infinity stone but I don't know what it is. Not completely. But what I do know is that is not of Earth, it gave power to Loki's staff, and gave you your abilities but no one really knows what it is. Its true nature is a mystery to me. But even with all that, it's an intricate part of me."

She studied him for a second. "Are you afraid of it?"

"I wish to understand it. The more I do, the less it controls me. And perhaps one day, I may even control it."

Wanda was sure Vision was comparing the stone with her powers. How if she understood herself, she would have more control over the crimson swirls of energy that twisted and turned within her. But that wasn't all she heard.

He answered that he wanted to understand the unexplainable gem and that one day control it. Was that how people saw her? A unexplainable mystery to be poked at until all its secrets laid open to see? And what would happen when all was learned? And what of Jamie?

Feeling unsettled, Wanda turned off the stove and moved the hot pan onto one of the other coils. She gave a false smile. "Sorry to tell you Vis, but whatever's in this, it isn't paprika."

He looked confused for a second and Wanda used that time to walk around and pick up Jamie. "I'm gonna go to the store. I'll have Pietro watch Jamie and I should be back in twenty…" She trailed off when Vision shimmered through the breakfast bar and solidified in her path.

"Perhaps, alternatively, we could order pizza?"

Her head tilted, watching his body language. He was tense. "Vision, is there a reason you're not letting me leave?"

He looked down. "It's a matter of safety."

Wanda smiled at the kind offer but she'd been trained too well. "I can take care of myself." She moved to dodge around Vision only to have him once again block her path.

"Not yours."

Wanda took a step back from him, her arms tightening around her daughter as she maneuvered Jamie so that she was bodily between them. She could feel her emotions bubbling, enough that she leaked slightly through the link with her twin.

 _"Wanda?"_

She pushed the dread and fear further down. The last thing she needed was Pietro getting involved. "Vision?"

"Until the Accords are on a more secure foundation, Mister Stark would like to avoid the possibility of another public incident."

Stark. Always Stark. This time she felt anger and she carefully morphed her expression into the blank mask that Natasha had taught her. "You may order pizza if you wish, I have lost any appetite."

This time he did allow her to pass, intent on reaching the sanctuary of her and Jamie's room. Little arms wrapped themselves around her neck and Wanda didn't have to see her daughter to know that she was glaring back at Vision with an expression that would be highly intimidating when she was older.

 _"Stupid Toaster."_

Wanda had no urge to correct her daughter.

She'd only been in her room for an hour when Pietro called for her.

 _"Wanda, come to my room. Leave Jamie."_

It was Steve, it had to be. Or something horrible had happened, another explosion. Had Steve not made it in time? Pushing back her fear and anxiety Wanda crouched next to her daughter as the girl colored. The book had pictures of various animals but they were all labeled in Italian. A teaching tool of Natasha. _"Jamie I will be right back, okay? Stay and color for me, yes? If you need anything let Friday know, okay?"_

Jamie's eyebrows were furrowed, no doubt trying to figure out why her mother was asking such a thing from her, but she nodded and continued coloring. _"Okay, Mama."_

Satisfied, Wanda got up and went to leave, giving one last command, "F.R.I.D.A.Y, can you watch her?"

"Of course Wanda."

The trip fifty feet down the hall was antagonizing but entering Pietro's room was somehow worse.

The news anchor was talking about the chase that had occurred three hours ago, showing videos taken by people of three blurs racing on a busy street. Wanda recognized Steve immediately by his shield and uniform as he raced by one camera. In the next video Sam was shown, wings spread wide as he maneuvered above moving cars. Another video recorded Steve once again running but this time behind two other people. She didn't know who the middle person was, covered in black with silver highlights, but they had to be an enhanced if they could keep up with their leader. But it was the first man that caught her attention.

Dark clothing, long hair, and a silver left hand. James. Whoever was in all black was chasing after him, Steve chasing them both in turn. The ex-Hydra man walked over a car in one video, another showed him snatching a motorcycle from its rider. Wanda couldn't help be impressed by that. But that was as far as her amusement went.

The next video showed the chase to be over, Steve, James, and the third unknown man surrounded by law enforcement and Colonel Rhodes as War Machine amongst them, glowing palms pointed at their leader and his friend.

 _"This was three hours ago?"_ Wanda couldn't look away as Sam joined Steve, gun pointed at his back. She was in disbelief as Steve, Captain America, was arrested. Couldn't help her flinch as James was forced to his knees then stomach while men in black tactical gear placed restraints on him.

 _"It gets worse."_ Pietro changed the channel to another station, only to find out that James had escaped custody forty minutes ago, but that also Steve and Sam were missing and labeled fugitives.

 _"What is happening Pietro?"_

He was watching the television with narrowed eyes. _"I don't know. The CIA won't say what happened at their building of course but we can't wait any longer. They may come here for us as we haven't signed. We need to leave. Soon."_

Wanda nodded feebly as the video of the three men being arrested was shown again. _"Tonight. We'll leave tonight."_

Pietro nodded. _"I'll call the old man-"_

Wanda latched onto his wrist. _"No. Clint is retired. He has his family. We can't bring this on him."_

Pietro raised an eyebrow at her in question. _"Who then?"_

She let go, focused back on the screen as Sam, Steve, and James were arrested mere feet from Colonel Rhodes. _"No one. We're on our own."_

* * *

 **Just to be clear, this fic won't have romance. At least I don't think. I haven't decided. But if there was, it wouldn't be Wanda and Vision. No offence to anyone out there but I'm not a fan of that pairing. Anyways, really only two or three more chapters left. Poor people reading jinXed are probably sad I haven't been updating. Let me know what you think! Peace out. -Mez**


	4. Chapter 4

**Almost done, just a few more chapters. Shout out to Elizabetch, RedPlanetGalaxy, Onlyinitforthestories2, CaveHobo, and Toujour-Pur-XXX for favoriting, alerting, and reviewing. Thanks guys. Once again,** _mental Sokovian_ **,** _Spoken Sokovian_ **. Let us continue!**

* * *

After the news was over Pietro and Wanda had mentally discussed what they would do. It would be late, possibly around one or two in the morning when they would leave. The Sokovians knew Mexico was a popular area to disappear to but they were too far and with their pale skin, they would stand out more. Canada it was. Apparently the people of the North were quite polite and kind so Wanda was hoping that would work to their advantage in finding some place to live quickly. They would have to keep an eye on the progress of the Accords so they could keep track of which countries they would be able to bounce back and forth with.

They would take Steve or Sam's car, whichever was still here. The two men tended to have regular or older cars as opposed to Stark's numerous models that were high tech and no doubt having a tracking device on it. Plus they were sure F.R.I.D.A.Y was installed on the vehicles. Natasha was also a fan of fancy, fast cars but they were too noticeable and the last thing they needed was to draw attention as they left.

Before they did leave the city however, Pietro would take both of their bank cards and collect as much money from their accounts as they could to be exchanged once they entered the neighboring country. He would only be on camera for a split second before disappearing completely and finding another ATM across the city. With the others in Europe it'd be harder for Vision to find him.

For the rest of the day Wanda avoided the synthetic man, leaving an area as soon as he came near. She was a little mad at him but it was Stark she was very angry with but as he wasn't at the compound, his creation was the closest thing. She knew it wasn't his fault but treating her that way, it upset her. Stark treating her like some monster that needed to be cage and hidden away. Pietro had wanted to know what happened but she'd managed to hold him off by promising to tell him later. So the hours had dwindled away, night time falling and the other non-Avenger employees disappearing. It was just the four of them.

During the late afternoon Wanda and Pietro played with Jamie as much as they could, so she would fall asleep fast. She normally slept through the night but as they were leaving very early the next morning Wanda wanted her daughter to get as much rest as possible. Because she was not a happy child if she didn't get enough sleep.

So a little after seven Wanda fed and bathed her before setting her down to try and fall asleep. Jamie had been suspicious, glancing at the clock in their room but regardless of her enhancement she fell victim to her exhaustion and was deeply sleeping by seven thirty. After that was a waiting game.

Pietro had made himself and her dinner, something simple, all the while stashing non-perishables along with Steve's energy bars in a bag and blurring it all to his room to be packed later. Once that was done they waited around, Wanda and Pietro both hopping from one area to another, not leaving each other alone.

Which was why they both jumped up in alarm at the loud explosion on the outskirts of the compound.

They were on the communal floor, kitchen and conference room behind them as they gazed out the window studying the large flaming mushroom cloud. She gripped her twin's hand.

 _"They've come for me."_

He gripped her back. _"They come for no one. We leave now."_

Vision materialized next to the pair. "Stay here please." He disappeared out the wall toward the destruction.

Before Wanda could do anything she felt another presence behind them. Reaching with her scarlet she gripped the knife on the counter and threw it at the intruder. Only to stop it a couple inches away from the blonde man's face.

He pushed the knife away with a smirk. "Is this the kind of greeting I get?"

"Oh my God."

"Old man!"

"Clint, what are you doing here?" She glanced at Pietro. _"Did you call him?"_ He shook his head.

"Well, disappointing my kids for one thing." Clint brought out two arrows, lancing them into the wall and kitchen counter across from each other. "We're suppose to go waterskiing."

"So the explosion was a distraction?" Pietro glanced out the window.

Clint shrugged and smiled again. "Yeah."

He shared the older man's grin. "Perfect."

"What are you really doing here?" Wanda asked, Pietro and her following Clint as he headed for the stairwell.

"Cap needs us." Was his only answer.

Wanda hurried after the older man, matching his stride. "Steve and Sam are okay? What about-"

"Clint." The trio paused when hearing Vision behind them. "You should not be here."

The three of them turned slowly, Pietro maneuvering in front of her. Wanda could see how tense Clint was along with the way Vision held himself. He wasn't gonna let them go without a fight.

"Really? I thought I didn't need an excuse to come see the team. But with everything that's happened I can see how you'd be bent out of shape. I retired for, what, five minutes and it became a shit show."

Vision stepped closer to their group. "Please, Clint, consider the consequences of your actions here tonight."

Clint looked thoughtful. "Oh, they've been considered."

Suddenly the arrows that Clint had planted came to life, arches of electricity shooting out and attacking whatever was in their path. Which happened to be Vision.

"Okay, time to go."

Wanda knew the arrows wouldn't be able to hold off Vision for long. And she needed to stay with Clint to defend him if need be. _"Pietro, go and get Jamie."_

Her brother disappeared and she chased after Clint who slammed open the door to the stairwell, heading downward.

"Clint where is the transportation?"

They reached the second stairwell. "North side of the building."

 _"Pietro, north side."_

Reaching the ground floor they swiftly found the emergency exit, stepping outside only for Clint to whip out an arrow and shoot it at Vision as he dropped from the sky. Wanda leapt back, watching as the arrow sailed through the android and Vision replied with a strike to the chest that sent Clint flying several feet.

 _"Pietro, stay away until I call for you."_

"Son of a bitch." Clint muttered as he got back up, whipping out an arm, the metal asp baton extending. "Knew I should have stretched."

Both men took a step forward, intent on battling.

"That's enough." Wanda stepped between them, keeping her arms down but letting the scarlet out and dance around her fingers threateningly. Clint took a step back but kept an eye on Vision who was watching Wanda. "Pietro, Jamie, and me are leaving, Vision."

"I can't let you."

"I know." She flicked her wrists, scarlet reaching out for the yellow power source. His entire body glowed red and Wanda gritted her teeth as she pressed. Vision slowly buckled, the ground under his feet cracking and shifting from the output Wanda was giving off.

"If you go through with this, they will never stop being afraid of you."

"There will always be someone who will fear or hate me, regardless of what I do or don't do. Those nameless, faceless people don't matter to me. Only my family matters. They come first." Wanda gave a powerful push with her scarlet and the ground beneath gave way, sending Vision downward. She kept going, pushing and pressing as much as she dared.

Finally she let go, the glow disappearing from her hands as she looked down the pitch black hole in the ground.

Clint joined her, giving off a whistle at the depth. He looked over at her, seeming impressed. "Been holding out on me. Come on, Cap wants to talk to you and we got a couple more stops."

She followed after him as they headed north across the grounds, mentally calling for Pietro.

Her twin appeared at her side, handing off her bag while keeping the other two. Jamie was awake and owl-eyed, strapped on his back in her carrier.

Clint gave Pietro a nod and Wanda saw him look at their bags but he didn't ask about it. "Let's move."

They chased after him through the woods, keeping an eye on their surroundings. She didn't take Jamie away from her brother, knowing he could get her to safety quicker than she could. Besides, she was the bigger threat. If anyone came after them, she would be their target.

 _"Where's the toaster?"_

 _"Far below us."_ They didn't speak again, not until they came upon Clint's quinjet, flat black and camouflaged into the dark background.

"Buckle up kids. We gotta go." Clint instructed them as they quickly filed in, the siblings throwing their bags on the floor as they worked Jamie out of her carrier and into the jet's custom baby seat.

Within minutes they were in the air, blasting off away from what had been Wanda's family's home for the past year.

Now that the excitement was over Jamie had fallen back asleep half an hour into their flight, Pietro asleep next to her. Wanda refused her own exhaustion, in case she needed to defend their jet. But it also allowed Clint his opportunity. He caught her eye and hooked a finger at her, beckoning her to the co-pilot's seat.

"You wanna tell me why you were already packed?"

She hadn't even fully sat down when he asked. She leaned back. A part of her didn't want to say but she trusted Clint, ever since Ultron. "We were gonna leave. The three of us. Tonight."

"Because of the Accords?"

She looked over at him. "Do you know them well?"

He scoffed. "I don't need to know them well to know they're complete bullshit. I can see why it would be a good idea but as an applied idea? Not so much." He pressed the autopilot, turning to look at her. "I worked for Shield for years, doing different types of missions for them. Even assassinations. I told myself that they were bad people, that they would do horrible things and hurt tons of people. But when I found out Shield was Hydra? I couldn't help thinking that all the things I did, all the people I killed, it was all a lie. That it was possible that those people were innocent the entire time. I can't help compare the Accords and the UN with Shield and Hydra."

Wanda nodded. "Pietro said it would be a hundred and seventeen countries wanting a hand on the leash."

Clint snorted. "Kid's not wrong. You can't know if others have hidden agendas. Plus adding the fact that the UN is notorious for debating a decision for weeks, if not months. The things we deal with need quick decisions and immediate action, we can't waste time arguing for weeks while people are dying. And then you got the countries that didn't sign but if something happens and they need assistance but aren't given it? All that'll do is prompt them to make their own Avengers team. It'll be a giant mess."

Wanda hadn't thought about it from that perspective. It made sense. It was only gonna get worse. She felt Clint nudge her.

"But that's not the reason you were gonna leave. What about the Accords set you off?"

Wanda glanced behind her at her daughter and brother, both still asleep. "When they would have come for me, they would have found out about Jamie. As the daughter of the Scarlet Witch, they would want to know if she had abilities. They would have taken her, done tests, place a tracking device on her. She's not even two years old Clint. Would they return her to me? Would I ever see her again? I couldn't take the chance."

The blonde man was quiet, thoughtful. "After I joined Shield, I told myself I wouldn't hurt or kill anyone without it being a mission. I was done with that life. But if anyone tried to come after my family? Tried to hurt them? I wouldn't bat an eye. I'd cut down and kill whoever I had to, to keep them safe. It can be hard being on a team with people who don't have kids. They don't understand that urge to protect, to kill if need be for your family. So, as far as I'm concerned, you were in the right."

"Thank you." Wanda leaned back in her seat, wondering if she should tell him. Might as well. "I have been thinking of leaving for a few months now."

Clint glanced at her sharply. "The team? As an Avenger?"

Wanda stayed looking out the window. "I was on a mission when Jamie took her first steps. Pietro taught her to swim because I was busy in Europe. When her birthday came up we were somewhere in Malaysia. We had to have her party two weeks later. Her first word was in Sokovian. _Mama_. But I wasn't there." She looked over at Clint, keeping her voice steady. "I am missing Jamie growing up."

Clint nodded, his face blank. "I missed Cooper and Lila's births. I managed to get Lila's first steps but I missed Cooper's and both of their first words. When Laura told me she was pregnant with Nate, I told myself this was gonna be different. I was gonna be done."

"And here you are?"

Clint smiled. "Yeah well, when Steve called and told me what was going on, I couldn't not help. Laura actually packed my bag and kicked me out of the house."

Wanda smiled before she latched onto what Clint had said. "What happened Clint? With Steve, Sam, and James?"

He raised an eyebrow at her before glancing back at Pietro and Jamie. "I'll call him, go wake your brother."

It took a few nudges but Pietro came awake with a jolt and a snort. Wanda quietly laughed before telling her brother that Clint was calling Steve. They both sneaked by Jamie and congregated in the cockpit, Wanda taking her seat back while Pietro stood between the chairs.

The small flip phone in Clint's hands was on speaker, ringing three times before the line connected.

"Guys?"

"Steve what happened? Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah we're okay, a little bruised but still alive."

"What's going on that you need help?" Trust her brother to cut to the core.

Steve was quiet for a few seconds. "There's five other Winter Soldiers out there. And someone's about to activate them."

* * *

 **Anyone figure it out yet? The next chapter should reveal a lot. Let me know what you guys think about this chapter! See you later. Peace Out. -Mez**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, welcome back to Mirage. I wanna give a shoutout to Pixelfun20, 5cvka2j, LEXA14, and TwilightNeewMoonEclipseMidnight for favoriting and following! Thanks guys. PLEASE READ** **A heads-up: there's mention of non-con in this chapter so I'll be placing a line break thingy to separate it from the rest of the chapter. It's kinda important to my plot but if you feel like it might trigger you, you can skip it. For those of you who do read that section,** Sokovian spoken mentally, Sokovian spoken out loud **.** **The rest of the chapter is will be the same as the previous times with mental Sokovian in italics and underlined while Sokovian is just in italics. Let's go!**

* * *

Wanda stood next to Clint, the scarlet within her body building itself up for the undeniable confrontation with Tony and the others. James and Sam were on one side of the airport while Pietro was zooming in and out of different hangers looking for Tony's quinjet that they had no doubt used to get here.

There had been a bit of an issue on the way to San Francisco to collect the forth member. Taking the phone from Clint she and Pietro had ventured off to a quiet corner of the jet as Steve said he had something to discuss with the pair in private. He wanted Wanda to sit the battle out. It made complete sense but only if Vision would not be at the airport.

If the android was present Wanda needed to be there as she was the only one who could overpower him. Steve had not corrected her but he had insisted she go into hiding with Jamie. As much as it pained and tempted her, Wanda couldn't take the easy way out. If they didn't succeed, it wouldn't matter where she ran to.

Steve had sighed and told them he figured she would be stubborn. Thus he already had a plan in the making. He'd contacted family members of two Howling Commandos who would be the ones to whisk Wanda, Pietro, and Jamie away into hiding. The only thing Steve knew was that Wanda and Pietro needed to take a certain train to a certain town where they would be picked up by a member of Jacques' family who would already be taking care of Jamie during the possible confrontation. After that he wasn't sure where they would go but at some point the Sokovian family with change hands with someone from Pinky's side who would take them somewhere to disappear.

Steve knew the bare minimum and he was the only one of his trio that was aware of the plan. If they were successful in stopping Zemo and all was well, he would need to contact several people and use a variety of specific phrases to alert them that it was all clear and time to resurface. There were also phrases that would alert the go-betweens that he was compromised. It was safer this way.

"Nothing so far. I'll keep looking."

Pietro's firm accented voice in her ear piece reminded Wanda of the conversation the siblings had had on the way to Germany.

They'd picked up Scott Lang, someone Sam was familiar with who had shrinking technology. The man had been told who they'd be fighting against and had readily agreed to their cause. It brought him into a higher standing with Wanda. It rose further when Scott, who had initially been surprised to find a child on board, immediately began entertaining Jamie, getting the toddler to laugh just minutes after meeting her. He'd only widened his eyes in surprise and shrugged his shoulder over Jamie's obvious advancement.

It was when they were discussing James and the other Winter Soldiers that Scott had brought up all the crimes James had committed. Wanda had firmly told him that James had no say in the matter, that'd he'd been tortured and brain washed into doing Hydra's work. He hadn't wanted to do those things, Hydra was the real culprit. He was the opposite of Wanda and Pietro.

Clint had been empathetic as he himself once hurt and killed people while under mind control from Loki's scepter but also the dubious work he'd done for Shield. From the stories Steve had told the team about his childhood friend Clint was firm in the thought that James had been just as good of a man as their captain and could be once again.

But it was throughout the discussion that Wanda had felt her brother's feelings start to churn. It'd begun as dislike but as they'd continued to talk about James, it changed into something more. Rage, hate. Those were the two that had been most prominent. Finally he'd snapped, spitting about how some things were unforgivable in his eyes. He'd stalked off and Wanda had watched him go with round eyes.

Even his feelings about Stark from a year ago hadn't been this potent. Wanda had glanced at the two other men, apologizing for her brother before she'd chased after him.

* * *

 _She followed the mental link with her twin, finding him in a corner at the back of the quinjet, arms crossed and glaring out a window. She looked back the way she came, seeing Jamie occupied by Scott's antics._

"Pietro, what happened? Why are you so upset?"

"It's nothing." _He made to move around Wanda but she blocked him. He had never been abrasive with her but that was the feeling she was getting from him. Simmering hate from earlier and irritation. It unsettled her._

"It is not nothing. If that were true you wouldn't be feeling the way you do. You can tell me what's wrong."

 _It seemed that was both the wrong and right thing to say._

"You want to know what is bothering me? What is making me upset? Because you are defending him."

 _Wanda was confused._ "Why wouldn't I defend him? He did nothing wrong."

 _Pietro turned sharply to look at her._ "Did he? I don't think so. Do you want to know why I think this way? It is because I **know** , Wanda."

 _Her eyebrows furrowed._ "Know what Pietro? You are not making sense."

 _He narrowed his eyes at her._ "I know what happened two years ago. Between you and the Soldier."

 _Wanda's stomach dropped, her breath stuck in her lungs. No. No, please no. Her hands began shaking, the darkness creeping around her vision. She tried to reach for Pietro but he brushed her hand away._ "Pie-Pietro, it's…please let me tell you…"

 _He turned away, back to looking out the window._ "You don't need to tell me, I saw the video."

 _Wanda fought against the tears._ "V-video?"

"Hydra guards said some things one day, I grew angry and yelled at them, told them they were wrong. So they showed me a video, of the training room."

 _Her breathing began speeding up. The training room._ "Pietro…"

"The video had no sound but I could see." _His fisted hands flexed as he spoke, as he remembered._ "I saw how you fought, how you ran from him. I could see you screaming at him. You would throw the Soldier away from you with your scarlet when he got too close. But you missed once and he had you pinned to the floor. I saw how you started crying, struggling and pleading for him not do it, to stop. And then I saw him rip your pants. I was so angry I couldn't watch any more. I vowed to kill the man if I ever saw him again."

 _Pietro didn't see it, he didn't see what happened. Her breathing eased but the rest of his words registered._ "Pietro, you can't. Please don't."

 _He frowned._ "I won't. Only because of you. And Steve. I am only helping Steve to destroy other soldiers, not help _him_."

 _Wanda nodded at the compromise. But she still needed to talk to her brother properly._ "Pietro…" _He turned away from her, walking back to the front of the jet, and she tried calling for him._ "Pietro…"

"Leave me alone Wanda. I need to be calm when I see the Soldier or else I might break my promise and kill him."

 _She needed to talk to her brother, for him to understand, but she also knew he was too stubborn. Jamie had stopped playing with Scott, eyes worried as she looked between Wanda and Pietro. Scott was looking everywhere but the pair, trying his hardest to ignore the obvious tension between the siblings. Clint stared shamelessly from the cockpit, his face reflecting off one of the screens. He quirked an eyebrow at her in question. She gave a shake of her head and he nodded, looking back out the large window with only a quick glance at her._

 _Jamie was now up on her feet, her lips pulled down in a frown, as she walked toward Pietro. Wanda felt something rise within her, something she did not think she would ever associate with Pietro and his interactions with Jamie. Fear. With her heart in her throat, the Sokovian mother watched her chestnut-haired daughter step into Pietro's path._

 _Looking up, Jamie studied the silver-haired man._ "Uncle are you okay?"

 _Pietro crouched down prompting Wanda to take a step forward. He reached for Jamie, wrapping his arms around her in a hug and picking her up off the floor._ "I'm okay, Jamie." _He turned so he was facing Wanda again._ "I might hate him Wanda, but Jamie is family. I would protect her with my life." _He gave her a sad smile._ "You can put it away."

 _Wanda looked down, shocked that she'd summoned the scarlet to her hands. For a second she'd seen her twin as a threat to her daughter. The red glow disappeared._ "I'm sorry."

 _Pietro crouched once more, placing Jamie back on her feet. He gave her a quick kiss to her temple before letting her go._ "It's okay. Jamie comes first." _He smiled at his niece._ "Why don't you go give Mama a hug, she needs one, yeah?"

 _Jamie nodded, turning and rushing at her, wrapping her arms around Wanda's legs. She looked up at Wanda with a smile, one corner of her lips quirking further up then the other._ "Do you want a hug, Mama?"

 _Keeping her tears in check, the young mother managed a steady smile as she peered down into her daughter's face, Jamie's steel blue eyes wide and innocent. It wasn't a color from the Maximoff family line. No, Jamie had inherited her father's eyes._ "I would love a hug."

 _Using her scarlet, Wanda lifted her daughter up into the air, much to the toddler's amusement, wrapping her arms around Jamie. Breathing in her daughter's scent helped Wanda relax and she sought out Pietro but he was gone from his spot. It didn't take her long to find him in the cockpit occupying the second chair, turned away from Clint but gazing out the window._

"Mama, do you feel better?"

 _Wanda hugged her daughter again._ "Yes, Jamie. I feel better."

* * *

"Found it. Hanger five, on the North runway."

Wanda watched as Steve responded to Pietro's callout, lifting his hands in the air. Next to her Clint let the arrow fly, slicing through the material the teenager had used on Steve's hands. Even with the mask and full body suit, Wanda could sense the youth. Why Tony would bring a child here she would never understand.

"Ready?"

She nodded at Clint and the duo raced through the parking garage making their way down the stairs to the ground level and racing out into the tarmac. Sensing Tony in the air behind them Wanda pushed herself to go faster but the faint booms and ensuing explosions in front of them let her know they weren't fast enough. Debris went flying and the heat surrounded them, making Wanda duck low and Clint to cover her with his body.

 _"Wanda!?"_

 _"I'm fine, stay hidden."_ That was part of the plan. Pietro needed to stay hidden, only to show himself if it was life or death. They needed the others to think he wasn't there but with Jaime somewhere.

The sound of an engine roared above them and Tony came into view, hovering with a glowing palm facing them. "Wanda, I think you hurt Vision's feelings."

"Maybe you shouldn't have tried to lock me in my room."

"You're exaggerating a bit, don't you think? Besides I was doing it to protect you."

Wanda scowled at this. Those were not the words she would have used. Tony's attention went to Clint and Wanda used the moment to search the parking garage behind Tony. With the airport having been evacuated there shouldn't be anyone still here. A quick mental search confirmed this. Sneakily using her scarlet she grabbed at several cars, ready to throw them at Tony. All she needed was a cue.

Clint moved suddenly, arrows shooting at their former teammate. The older man easily dodged them, destroying them with a quick blast from his hand. "First time for everything."

"Made you look."

One by one Wanda pulled and pulled, sending cars raining down on Tony from the garage. She wasn't trying to kill him, just slow him down. Besides the armor would keep him safe. The last of the cars settled, and while she felt bad for Tony and the owners of the vehicles, it was necessary.

"Come on." Clint corralled her away and around the piles of fire as they ran in the direction of where Pietro was hiding in the hanger with the quinjet. As she ran she kept track of everyone.

James and Sam were fighting the boy, both of them unhurt. Steve was busy with Colonel Rhodes and the man known as T'Challa. He was the son of the fallen king of Wakanda. The rage and hate he felt toward James was strong, maybe not as sharp as Pietro's but certainly enough to drive his revenge into obsession. He was intent on taking James' life.

Scott was now at Steve's side, after having recovered from being zapped by Natasha. It was good that Steve had back up. That was why they were paired up.

Wanda rounded a corner, Clint next to her as he pointed the hanger out. "There's our ride."

 _"Pietro we're almost there."_

 _"I'm inside. I'll open it when you get close."_

Steve suddenly appeared, along with Scott as they ran in front of them. In the next second James and Sam joined their sprinting group as well. Wanda felt her anxiety lessen when she saw how everyone was more or less unharmed.

Wanda felt a flare of powerful energy just as a yellow beam carved out a line in the cement. Their group halted and the Sokovian looked up to see Vision in the air above them. She knew he would be here.

"Captain Rogers!" The synthetic man floated lower. "I know you believe what you are doing is right. But for the collective good, you must surrender now."

One by one the rest joined Vision. First Tony and Natasha, then T'Challa and Colonel Rhodes, the latter carrying the former. Last was the child, landing next to the military man. The six of them formed a line, mirroring Wanda and the others.

"What do we do Cap?"

Sam's question was rhetorical at best, for both sides knew what was going to happen next but Steve's declaration confirmed it.

"We fight."

* * *

 **What do you guys think? Were you expecting the reveal? Let me know what you guys think! Peace out. -Mez**


	6. Chapter 6

**In less than three hours I will be sitting down to watch Infinity War. I'm scared. You have idea how frightened I am. So here is chapter six. I took some liberties with Wanda's power, most of what I know is within the MCU and bits of comic stuff. So yeah. Any who, here's the airport fight. Dialogue that is underlined is mental, underlined and italic is Sokovian spoken mentally while plain italic is Sokovian spoken out loud. Let's go!**

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Wanda jumped from one fight to another, defending and helping where she could. The teen, the name Peter plucked from his mind, had come at her first, shooting his sticky material, trying to aim for her hands. Swift wrists conjured shields to protect herself before she finally grabbed a hold of him and sent him flying away. He came back swiftly and she retaliated with boxes, small carts, anything to throw him off balance. Sam intervened, gaining the boy's attention and she turned her sight upward, catching Colonel Rhodes with her scarlet and sending him else where as the man tried to attack Sam from behind. Next, she grabbed at Tony's arm, moving it away as he tried to blast Steve.

 _"Wanda behind you!"_

She listened to Pietro's mental shout and dived to the side, dodging the blast from Colonel Rhodes. She rolled into a crouch and conjured an energy ball, throwing it at the man, his armor sizzling from the impact. Sam returned then, flying between them and shooting at the man, causing Rhodes to take off after him. Wanda used that moment to glance around, looking to see who needed help.

 _"Wanda, the old man's pulling his punches."_

She listened to her brother, seeing Clint and Natasha not too far away, grappling with their bow and batons respectively. She immediately picked up on what Pietro meant. Seizing the opportunity, she grabbed Natasha's foot just as she was about to strike Clint in the face. With a whip of her arm she sent Natasha flying, banging into a steel container. Clint glanced at Natasha before turning to Wanda.

"You're being soft Clint." She lightly scolded him before running off. She paused next to a large truck, looking where she could further help. Hearing a grunt from the other side of the vehicle Wanda looked over the hood, seeing T'Challa kick James hard enough to send him smacking into a stack of boxes.

Feeling a flare of fear and protectiveness Wanda launched herself over the truck and lashed out with her power. Glowing crimson encased the suited man's hand just as he was about to grab James' throat. Wanda knew that the gloves were weaponized with sharp claws made of the same metal as Steve's shield and that the man had planned on using them to kill James. With twirling wrists and a shout the Sokovian sent the man sailing through the air and crashing through a passenger bridge.

 _"Wanda down!"_

She ducked, dodging Natasha's punch but wasn't fast enough to evade the swift kick to the stomach. Instantly Wanda was tackled and sent to the floor, Natasha's legs like a vice around her neck, cutting off her air.

 _"Wanda!_

 _"I'm fine Pietro."_ Letting the scarlet within her boil she gave an angry shout, a red pulse of light exploding from her body that sent the Black Widow flying off her. Wanda staggered to her feet but suddenly she was grabbed around the waist and spun into someone's chest. Gunfire rained down immediately and she recognized the sharp pings of bullets hitting metal.

Looking over James' shoulder Wanda spied Colonel Rhodes firing at them. Reaching around the metal-armed man she threw out a hand, a thin barrier of red energy shielding them. James let her back up and she brought both hands in front of her, giving a powerful push upward that sent the shield flying at Rhodes and blasting him back. Wanda glanced at James, both of them giving each other a nod before separating, the young mother slightly unnerved with seeing her daughter's eyes staring back at her.

 _"Wanda are you okay?"_

 _"I'm fine."_ Looking around she caught sight of Vision, who up until this moment had been disabled by several of Clint's modified arrows, awake and intent on Clint who was shooting an arrow with Scott attached to it at Tony to offer Sam aide. Just like at the compound she reached out with her scarlet, grabbing control of the stone and pulling the android from the air. He looked over at her but she remained grim, crumpling his form onto the tarmac.

Her ear piece crackled. "We need to leave. That guy has to be in Siberia by now."

Wanda let go of Vision as Colonel Rhodes bore down on her, running for shelter with a shield in place to protect her from the repulsor blasts.

"We need to draw out the flyers. I'll distract Vision, you get to the jet."

"No, both of you get to the jet." Sam spoke just as he flew past War Machine, shooting at him to gain his attention from Wanda. It worked and the military man followed. "Some of us aren't getting out of here."

Clint's voice joined in. "I don't like it but I agree with Sam. Some of us will have to lose this one to win it."

"This isn't the real fight Steve."

"Wanda." Steve's voice called to her. "What about you?"

The mother knew what he was asking. "We'll be fine, as soon as you're in the air. This is bigger than all of us."

She heard him sigh. "Alright, what's the play Sam?"

The conversation continued on about diversions and Wanda had to pause mid throwing of an energy ball at Tony when she heard Scott say something about tearing himself in half. She hoped he would be okay, Jamie really liked him. She re-powered, throwing the concentrated sphere of red at Tony's left arm, keeping it from firing at Sam. She ducked behind a baggage cart, alerted to the rapidly growing form of Scott.

 _"Oh my God, Wanda are you seeing this?!"_

She nodded at Pietro's words. It truly was amazing. She was definitely showing Jamie this later; her daughter would be really excited. Now that everyone's attention was on Scott Wanda began making her way across the tarmac to get closer to the hanger, her plan being to provide cover for James and Steve.

 _"Pietro, Steve and James are on their way to you."_

 _"I heard, when they get here I'll open the jet and head out with you."_

 _"No, I need you to go with them_."

 _"What?! Wanda, I can't leave you and Jamie behind. Plus the Soldier wouldn't survive the trip to Siberia because I'd kill him by then."_

 _"Then you will have to show restraint Pietro. They will be up against five super soldiers, that's five Steve's. They can't do it by themselves. You need to help them. I'll be fine."_

Keeping an eye on Scott's gigantic form and his clash with the Colonel and Peter, Wanda had just snuck her way around another large truck when the black and silver form of T'Challa dropped in a crouch in front of her.

Within seconds she was quickly put on defense, having to duck and dodge the man's angry kicks and punches. He was fast, Wanda barely having time to block his strikes with shields. One particular swipe of his claws against her shield created angry, jagged sparks that surprised her enough to miss the kick to her chest. She was sent flying, having just enough sense and time to protect her head as her body slammed into the ground with enough force for her to roll over repeatedly.

 _"Wanda?!"_

 _"I'm…fine."_ Easing herself up, Wanda winced at her shredded gloves, eyeing the grit that was imbedded in the material. Thank God she was wearing them or her hands would have been heavily scrapped. Instead there were only a few scratches on the exposed parts of her fingers. The groan she made when getting to her feet let her know that the rest of her body was already blossoming in bruises. Luckily the leather jacket took most of the damage. A shadow passed overhead and T'Challa once again appeared in front of her. Before either of them could make a move several arrows landed by the prince's feet, electricity arching and sparking between the metal points, causing the suited man to step back.

More arrows landed and sparked angrily causing T'Challa to further retreat, allowing Clint to step between Wanda and her opponent, his arms loading and reloading rapidly. He glanced at her for a split second. "Go Wanda."

Nodding, Wanda was up and heading toward the hanger, ignoring the stinging pain of her body. Steve and James ran by in front of her and she hurried to catch up. Like she thought she heard an engine roar above her and she looked to the right, seeing Colonel Rhodes tailing the men. Grabbing broken debris and baggage carts she battered the War Machine armor, pushing the military man further back.

A spike in powerful energy caught Wanda's attention and she looked back over to see a beam of yellow cutting through a tower, the rubble falling to seal off the hanger from the two super soldiers. Leaving Rhodes be, Wanda lashed out, power surging through her as she creating a net to catch the heavy cement, leaving an opening for the men to squeeze through.

 _"Pietro, get ready!"_

They were almost there when a high pitched, pulsating sound began painfully throbbing within her mind, causing her to scream in agony and grip her head.

 _"Wanda!?"_

Crumpling to the floor, Wanda could only curl into a ball and cry out at the mental assault. As quickly as it came it was gone but Wanda continued to whimper and shake at the residual pain.

 _"Wanda."_

Arms encased her, easing her up off the floor a bit. Her shaking had subsided but she still jerked slightly and her whimpering had changed to panting, trying to get her breath under control. She looked up, seeing Pietro angry and concerned.

 _"Are you okay?"_

She nodded, the spasms all but gone, leaving only her panting and a sore throat. _"Yeah, what did you do to Colonel Rhodes?"_

 _"Less than what he deserved. He won't be able to use that particular weapon anymore but he's fine._ " Pietro looked behind himself. _"He's with Tony."_

Pietro helped her to her feet just in time to see Tony and Colonel Rhodes strike Scott causing him to trip and fall, his form shrinking back to normal. Legs shaking, she took a look around. _"Did Steve and James make it?"_

She ignored the disgruntle face Pietro made at the mention of Steve's friend but he nodded. _"They made it in time. When I heard you screaming, I opened the ramp for them and ran past them."_

As he finished speaking she heard a familiar sound, both of them looking up to see the commandeered quinjet speed off from the hanger. Seconds later two twin streaks followed after them, with Sam's telling wings giving chase.

She took a few experimental steps forward. _"We need to stop Tony and the Colonel. Then we leave."_

Pietro was in agreement but before they could do anything Vision appeared, touching down several feet from them. Seeing as she was still a little weak, Pietro took up a defensive posture in front of Wanda, blocking her with his body.

The android's expression was regretful as he looked pass her twin to her. "I'm sorry."

The Sokovian knew he was apologizing for his behavior at the compound. She, on the other hand, couldn't find it in herself to say sorry. Mostly because she wasn't. She'd meant what she said. Her family came first. She only nodded at his words.

Pietro shrugged his shoulders. "I am not. I'm actually quite sad I didn't see your trip to China."

 _"Pietro. We don't have much time."_

"Regardless of your feelings toward me Pietro, it is as I said. Catastrophe."

Her brother took a step forward. "Only because you made it so."

She grabbed her brother's wrist to stop him but Vision ignored the pair, turning to look up in the sky. She was curious about what he was doing but she felt the energy spike and Vision was suddenly shooting a yellow beam upward. Right at Sam.

Reaching out to the winged man, Wanda warned him. "Sam behind you!"

He heeded her warning, collapsing his wings and rolling into a tuck to avoid the blast. Only for it to hit Colonel Rhodes.

Wanda watched horrified as the War Machine armor dropped from the sky, arms and legs splayed about. Tony and Sam gave chase but there was too much distance between them. She smacked Pietro fearfully. _"The reactor, it's damaged. The suit has no power. He can't stop and they won't reach him in time. Pietro, take me right below him."_

Despite the fighting between everyone, they didn't want to hurt each other. And Wanda knew her brother very well. Pietro, even though he was one of the more vocal and volatile members of the group, didn't wish to actually harm or kill anyone on the team. So with a determined expression, her twin picked her up in his arms and blurred away. They covered the distance in seconds, Pietro setting Wanda down below where they could see Colonel Rhodes falling.

Her eyes trained upward, Wanda concentrated her scarlet within her palms, building it until her hands were almost too hot with power. With a forceful shout she pushed upward, the crimson net she'd cast racing upward several hundred feet. The scarlet's collision with the armor caused her to cry out, the force nearly causing Wanda's knees to buckle.

The ear piece crackled, Sam's strained voice filtering through. "Hold on a bit more Wanda, Tony's almost there."

Steve's voice joined in, worried. "What's happening? Sam? Somebody talk to me."

Pietro explained what was going on, Wanda trying to ignore them, concentrating on maintaining her scarlet. He was still falling too fast, getting closer to the ground. Ignoring the pain in her head and the feeling of warm blood trailing from her nose down her lips Wanda let out a scream, pulling as much of her scarlet from within as she dared, pushing it up and out; aware of something shattering inside her.

A huge wave of vermilion exploded from her body, the initial release sending Pietro off his feet. The feral surge of energy followed the formerly-made pathway, channeling through her arms and racing up toward Rhodes. The extra power managed to completely stop his free fall, even going so far as to lift him higher into the air.

At that moment Tony, a streak of red and gold, reached Rhodes and wrapped his arms around him. The pair tumbled through the air a bit before he stabilized. Wanda let go, her knees hitting the ground first before she listed off to the side. Pietro managed to catch her head before it made contact with the ground.

She felt a buzzing in her mind, something she couldn't quite decipher. Her body hurt, externally from the bruises scattered across her body but also internally. Something had happened when she'd pulled that extra energy from within. She'd done something to her scarlet.

 _"Wanda, can you hear me? I've been trying to talk to you mentally."_

She looked up at Pietro as he cradled her in his arms. _"I can hear you if you speak out loud but not in my head."_ That wasn't good. Lifting a hand Wanda tried to conjure her scarlet but instead she hissed in pain. It hurt, sharp and lingering. She shared a look with her brother. She was defenseless.

Twin engines drew close and the two of them looked up to see Sam land a few feet from them, wings collapsing while Tony touched down, gently laying Colonel Rhodes down on the grass.

Immediately Tony ripped off his mask to reveal his unconscious friend. "Read vitals?"

Wanda tried to sit up more in her brother's arms, wanting to see if Rhodes was okay. Whatever F.R.I.D.A.Y. had said must be positive because Tony slumped in relief, hanging his head.

Next to them Sam also let out a sigh before turning his head to look at the pair of siblings. His eyes widened when he saw Wanda. "Shit Wanda, are you okay?"

His words caught Tony's attention, looking up at her from his spot on the ground. He too looked startled.

Wanda turned to her brother. _"How bad do I look?"_

 _"You are very pale and you have blood coming out of your nose, what do you think?"_

She gave him a mock glare before turning to the other two men, trying to hold back the wince as she wiped her nose. "I'm fine."

"Thank you Wanda." Looking over at Tony, his brown eyes were fierce but thankful, his lips trembling just barely. The words were spoken in a strained tone, just barely less than a sob.

She managed a small, tired smile while leaning her head against Pietro's shoulder. "Of course, no thanks are needed."

 _"Wanda."_

Her brother's tone of voice was tight and she looked up at him only to see him gazing back the way they came. Twisting a little she saw the flashing red and blues in the distance. There were ambulances but also police cars scattered across the airport tarmac. Three more of them were speeding in their direction along with an ambulance.

 _"We need to go. Now."_

She nodded at him, taking time to glance at her winged teammate. "Sorry Sam." The words had barely left her mouth before the world spun and blurred away. It took roughly thirty seconds but they finally stopped at the edge of some trees, a parking lot just a few feet away. They were a little more than ten miles away from the airport and just a walking distance from the train station that had been selected for them.

She was placed on her feet and managed to walk over with her brother to a pre-determined car, opening the back seat. Inside was a couple of jackets and a bag of hair color spray. Taking off the leather jacket and gloves Wanda traded it out for the plain dark blue fleece hoodie.

Once she'd donned the zip-up she felt around the inside seam, finding the tiny slit. Pulling out the white envelope from the hidden pocket she opened it, fingering the train ticket and several notes of money. Enough to help them travel for a bit.

 _"Come on. Hurry."_ Pietro had opened a small black case that had been in the foot well, the high-tech mesh in his hands. It was something Steve had kept from his Shield days that had come in handy in the past and now would be instrumental in keeping them safe.

Wanda pulled her hair back, allowing her brother to cover her face and neck with the strange material. It clung to her skin, irritating her but she ignored the feeling. Pietro activated it and Wanda felt the buzzing sensation for just a second before it faded. Turning to look in the car windows she was pleased the facial camouflage had worked perfectly. Stark won't be able to find her using cameras and F.R.I.D.A.Y.

She turned to her brother, only to find him with a can of color spray, still dressed in his fighting clothes. She frowned even when she turned around as he instructed. _"Why aren't you getting changed?"_

 _"You first."_ Pietro began at the bottom of her hair and made his way up, lifting sections to get the underside of her tresses. In seconds she was no longer auburn but now a very dark brunette, several shades darker than Jamie's chestnut.

She grabbed the second jacket, a wine red, and held it out to him. _"Your turn."_

He grabbed it from her but threw it back in the car. _"Get on the train. I'll be back in a few minutes."_

She grabbed his arm before he could leave. _"What do you mean? Where are you going?"_

 _"I'm going back to get the old man."_

He slipped out of her grasp and disappeared.

Wanda floundered for a second before trying to call after her brother mentally. She could feel him, a solid presence in the back of her head but the connection used to communicate felt severed, frayed. She wasn't able to talk to him yet.

Muttering a Sokovian curse, Wanda shut the car door and started walking in the direction of the station.

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 **Okay, let me know what you guys think, I gotta go! Bye. -Mez**


	7. Chapter 7

**It's been nine days since watching IW on the opening night, six days since watching it a second time and I'm still processing. It was incredible though. If you haven't seen it yet, you need to! For those that have seen it, I have a plan for THAT. I'll make it better. I'll be using this story line but it might take awhile as I still need to finish Civil War and get through Black Panther. But I will do something about THAT. You know what I'm talking about. Underlined and italics are mental Sokovian, italics is spoken Sokovian.**

 **I was in a big hurry last time so time for shout outs to those followed, favorited, alerted and reviewed both chapter 5 and 6: AnimeGamerGirl23, Sammy006, kinky-kitsune, wolfwithattitude, Jazmine Cruz, 3, and AinsleeRose. Thanks guys! Onward…**

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Leaving his sister by herself went against his instinct but he knew she could take care of herself. Natasha had made sure Wanda was trained in hand to hand in case she happened to find herself unable to use her scarlet. She'd be fine. Right now Pietro had to get to Clint.

During the Ultron incident Pietro's feelings toward the archer had changed from antagonistic to friendly. Their friendship had changed drastically enough for Pietro to risk his life to save the older man. A risk he had almost paid.

That day on Sokovia, when Ultron was firing toward Clint and the boy in his arms, Pietro barely had time to think before he was rushing to reach the pair. At the last second the silver-haired twin changed his mind from pushing them to safety to full-out tackling them. He remembered a flash of pain before crashing into the other two, sending the trio tumbling and smacking into a dumpster.

Clint had automatically put the unharmed child aside to check on him, finding several bullet holes that Pietro had been pressing against to help stop the bleeding. He'd given a weak smirk, asking the archer if he'd seen that coming, as a throwback to their very first interaction. Then he'd passed out, the sound of Wanda wailing in his head being the last thing he'd heard.

Pietro had woken up six days later, in pain and weak, in a room within Avengers Tower. Wanda and Jamie, only four months old, had spent that time in his hospital room watching over him. He remained critical for two more days before they'd gotten word that Doctor Cho had managed to fix the cradle. He'd spend a little less than nine hours in the metal cocoon before he'd been released, whole and healthy.

In the aftermath Pietro, Wanda, and his niece had stayed at the Barton's farm, the peaceful environment much different than the chaos the twins had been use to in their war torn country. In those months Clint and his family had become precious to the Sokovian twins, the bond requited enough for the archer and his wife to come to Pietro, asking permission to use his name for their own son. It was because of this bond that pushed Pietro to run as fast as he could to get to their surrogate father figure.

He arrived back at the airport, hidden in the shadows of a hanger as he looked about. There were cars with flashing lights to signify the presence of the authorities but also several medical vehicles. There were others, government-types in suits and speaking on phones or walkie-talkies. Vision and T'Challa were talking to a small collection of them but Pietro didn't see Natasha or Peter anywhere. Tony Stark was at one of the ambulances, worried and hovering over a conscious Colonel Rhodes as he was loaded up into the back of the vehicle.

He spotted Sam and Scott walking away from a different ambulance flanked by four men in uniforms and two other men in suits. Which left Clint behind to be tended to by the medics and babysat by four policemen and five suits. Pietro had to smirk at the precautions around Clint. It seemed they were taking his reputation seriously. The medics wouldn't be a problem so he would need to focus on the nine others that guarded the old man. He did another quick cursory glance before he blurred.

It took milliseconds to scatter the men and appear at Clint's side, causing an uproar among the law enforcement overseeing everything. Using his enhanced momentum Pietro easily broke apart the older man's cuffs and grabbed him about the waist to carry him off.

Before he could move the familiar sound that he had heard assault Wanda earlier rang and echoed in his own head, sharp and painful. He let go of Clint, the two men crying out as they crumbled to the floor. It became a flurry of activity around the pair, hands grabbing at Pietro to turn him over on his stomach. Even in pain he lashed out, hitting a few bodies before someone dug prongs into his side and he locked up as the currents raced through his muscles.

His legs were clamped together with his hands pulled against the small of his back and bound together. Once he was tied up the sound waves blasting in his head stopped and he let out a harsh breath.

 _"Pi…ro! Wh…rong?"_

Wanda was trying to communicate with him but her telepathy still wasn't working. She had to be panicking. Rough hands lifted him up off the cement and to his feet, though he was hardly able to stand on his own properly. Looking around he found Clint with Vision several feet away, the blonde man having blood trailing from his ears and his hearing aids in Vision's hands while a medic looked him over. The sound waves would have no doubt affected the small pieces of technology, possibly causing even more damage to what little hearing the archer had left.

 _"Pie...? Tell me…happ…ng? Ar...ou…ay?"_

Pietro watched as Tony Stark came over, roughly shouldering past the man who still carried the hand-held device that had blasted the sound waves at Pietro and Clint.

Pietro tried to be as direct as possible so Wanda wouldn't mistake what he was saying. _"Go. Run."_ Ironman was getting closer, only a few people away now.

 _"Pietr…?"_

 _"Go Wanda. Run. Go!"_

He severed their connection just as Stark stepped in front of him. Last thing he wanted was for Wanda to hear what would happen to him.

"Pietro, listen to me." The bearded man was speaking lowly, eyeing the others surrounding them. "Where's Wanda?"

Pietro narrowed his eyes but refused to make a sound.

Stark frowned and the Sokovian could tell he was getting frustrated. "Don't do this Pietro. If they find her, if they find-" Pietro raised an eyebrow at Tony. He'd cut himself off from saying Jamie's name. The inventor regrouped and tried again. "Ross isn't playing around. This will be bad if they find her first. So please, tell me. Where's Wanda?"

Pietro stared back, unwavering. He wasn't going to say a thing. And the others around them knew it. The hands holding his upper arms started to steer him away and he didn't resist, ignoring Stark calling out to him.

It was a little more than eight hours later that Pietro watched, lying on the cot in his cell with his back against the wall and facing outward, as Stark walked into the circular room with some hesitancy. The older man refused to look at them, instead gazing up and about the metal prison. Until Clint's clapping made him look. Stark disappeared to the right of his cell, talking to the old man on the far end of the line.

Closing his eyes and leaning his head back Pietro listened as the two men talked, perking up when Clint mentioned his name. He paid attention, only arching an eyebrow when hearing Clint's loud warning about Stark.

He heard the footsteps, echoing in the room, drawing closer. Scott on his immediate right gave another warning of his own about trusting Stark and Pietro had to agree with the man. The footfalls were right in front of his cage now and instead of them continuing on like he wanted them to, they stopped.

"Pietro?"

The Sokovian refused to move an inch, keeping his eyes closed.

"Pietro, just tell me if everything's alright?"

Pietro almost snorted. He knew what Stark was fishing for. Everyone on the team knew about Pietro and Wanda's telepathic connection and that's what he was asking about. Except he hadn't talked to Wanda since the airport. Hadn't been able to. He could feel her faintly in the back of his head, enough to know she was alive but any type of communication or empathy between them wasn't possible. They were too far apart.

"Pietro, come on, give me something. I wanna protect Wanda too, same as you."

Eyes snapping open Pietro moved his feet off the bed to the floor of his cell, making sure Stark saw the manacles they had placed on his ankles. They measured friction and temperature but also a few others things no doubt, making sure he didn't use his speed. Because if he did, they would sense it and he'd be electrocuted. Again.

Stark frowned at the clamps around his ankles and Pietro had to bite back the smile of satisfaction at seeing his distress. He got up and stopped a few feet from the glass wall that separated the two of them. _"You want to know?"_ He wasn't sure if Ross had a translator but since he was speaking out loud, he didn't want to make it any easier. F.R.I.D.A.Y, he knew, would translate his Sokovian for Stark.

 _"I'll tell you one thing. Stark."_ The other man frowned at the way Pietro had said his name, which had been his intention. The Sokovian was using the same tone he had when he'd been against the Avengers during Ultron. He stared at Tony for several seconds, blue eyes drilling into brown ones before he tilted his head down. And spat on the glass at the man's shoes.

He turned away from Tony, heading back to his cot. He faced the other way this time as he laid down in the center of his mattress, hands folded on his stomach and feet up on the wall, crossed over each other.

After a few seconds Stark's footfalls resumed, heading to the other side of Pietro, to Sam's cell.

"Pietro seems to be in a chatty mood."

Sam snorted. "Considering those are the first words he's spoken since the airport, yeah he's a motor mouth." It was quiet for a breath. "How's Rhodes?"

Pietro strained to hear Stark's words but he was gladden by the news that the Colonel would only need rest to recover. If Wanda and him hadn't been there, it could have been much worse. Listening further Pietro smiled at Sam's loyalty when Stark asked where Steve had gone. Though they hadn't told the rest of the team they would be disappearing, he knew they would rather die than give out information that could get Wanda and Jamie captured.

Pietro nearly sat up when hearing that the inventor had blocked the audio for the cameras. He stayed lying down but was tense and strained to hear every little thing that was said. Stark had finally learned that the Soldier had been interrogated by the wrong man. Pietro scoffed under his breath. The security for the CIA must be horrible. Did they not verify identity before letting whoever into their building?

More murmurings from next door. Sam got a promise from Stark before he spoke of Siberia and the other Winter Soldiers, the coordinates to the Hydra bunker. He thanked Sam before walking away, past his room, and Pietro couldn't resist.

 _"You should have listened to us."_

The footfalls faltered only a step before they became sturdier and faded away.

~~~Mirage~~~

Landing the camouflaged quinjet in the private airstrip Steve helped Bucky unbuckle and both of them made their way down the ramp, tender from the various bruises adorning their body. Bucky had quickly adapted to his altered equilibrium, walking on his own on Steve's left.

One spot over on the tarmac was T'Challa, dressed in black and standing with several of his advisers and female guards, his own Wakandian aircraft displayed behind them.

He'd found the Brooklyn boys in Siberia, struggling to escape the Hydra base before Tony could get his suit to work. There had been panic at the thought they might have to face off with the royal man but he'd showed no aggression, his first words to them being a formal apology to Bucky for trying to kill him. He'd found Zemo and had the man tied up in his own plane, ready to be taken back and brought to justice.

Steve had asked, practically begged him to take Tony as well. Regardless of everything that had happened Steve still considered the inventor a dear friend and didn't want to leave him behind. T'Challa had readily agreed and surprised the two super soldiers with an unexpected and near impossible gift. Sanctuary in Wakanda for Steve and Bucky along with his teammates. It only took a shared glance for them to agree.

So now, a couple of days after T'Challa had handed over Zemo to the authorities, they were meeting to switch jets to avoid detection.

Reaching the group assembled Steve gave a grateful smile and reached out a hand. "Your Highness, thank very much for your generosity."

T'Challa smiled, grasping Steve's hand. "We have fought against each other on the battlefield when I was mislead, consumed by vengeance, and wanted the death of your friend. I think at this point, you may certainly call me T'Challa, Captain."

Steve smiled. "As long as you call me Steve."

T'Challa nodded and turned his attention to Bucky, offering the man his hand in greeting. "Sergeant Barnes. Once again I apologize for my…regretful behavior. I am ashamed I let my mind leave me and acted out irrationally."

His old friend gave a quick, tired smile. "Bucky. And all things considered, your reaction was completely rational. Besides, not the first time someone's tried to kill me."

Steve chuckled, filled with joy at seeing the lopsided smirk on Bucky's face as he joked. No matter what Hydra had done to him, deep down it was still Bucky, his brother in all but blood.

T'Challa laughed with Buck at the quip before turning to gesture at the sleek Wakandian jet. "Whenever you are ready, we can depart to Wakanda."

Steve stepped forward. "Would it be alright if I made a few phone calls? We have a couple teammates in the wind we need to pick up."

T'Challa looked thoughtful. "The woman and the silver-haired one?" Steve nodded. "Unfortunately the male tried to collect Barton at the airport after the battle. He was arrested with the others but there has been nothing on the woman."

Steve frowned. That sounded like Pietro. He knew how important Clint was to the small Sokovian family. It also meant Wanda had been on her own with Jamie for a few days. She could handle herself just fine but he still worried. His plan was for Pietro to watch out for them and get them away from danger before they had to face it.

"Wanda and her brother, Pietro. Would it be alright for me to call her and for us to pick her up?"

T'Challa nodded. "Of course, I meant what I said Steve, sanctuary for you and your teammates." He turned to one of his advisors, a fierce looking woman who handed him a sleek, black cell phone. "Untraceable."

Steve accepted the piece of technology, the design looking more technologically advanced than even Tony's inventions. He pressed in the phone number that would take him through several loops just to reach his wayward teammate and her daughter. That was fine with him though, it was to keep his friends safe. But now it was time to bring them home.

~~~Mirage~~~

It'd only been a couple hours since Steve had finally gotten the location of Wanda and they were now less than half an hour out. The thought was making Bucky nervous, the Solider within him uneasy. This would be the first time to be around the Sokovian female without Hydra or some kind of crisis about to take place, nothing to distract from their history. A history Bucky was horrified by.

The first time he'd seen Wanda, he'd been in Peru, eating dinner in his ratty apartment. The television set was older, early to mid nineties, but it did its job and that'd been good enough for Bucky. He wasn't one for television but he used it to monitor the news stations. If someone caught sight of him, it was sure to be on the news. Not tonight though.

The news anchor was talking about the Ultron attack in Sokovia, continents away from his location. He'd been about to change the channel when he'd seen Steve in one of the videos. He saw the rest of the Avengers here and there, fighting the metal soldiers as they attacked the city. At one point he'd seen a brief flash of color zoom by, too quick to be caught by the human eye. But Bucky wasn't a regular human.

He'd see the silhouette, the platinum hair of the man as he ran by in the video. His head had started aching then, his breathing coming fast. Bucky recognized him from somewhere. When Wanda was featured on screen, hands glowing red as she tore robots apart, his head felt like it'd been split open.

He ended up blacking out for a day and a half, coming out of his trance weak and remembering more of his time as Hydra's weapon. How they'd used him to hurt Wanda. The memory were there but he could never stomach remembering it completely, cutting off at him pinning her to the floor with his metal arm as the other reached for her pants.

Bucky turned away from Steve and T'Challa so they wouldn't see him tremble, see how pale, cold and clammy, he'd gotten. He couldn't get sick, not here. He pushed back the nausea and worked on regulating his breathing. It was two years later but her cries and pleas had stuck with him. Every day, several times a day, he heard her in his head. He didn't try to fight it. He deserved to be punished.

And here they were, going to pick her up and retreat to Wakanda. He needed to talk to her, say something. He wondered if she remembered? Of course she did. It was a stupid notion. Unlike him who had forgotten for awhile, she wouldn't have. Not something like that. He had to wonder how she'd stomached being near him at the airport. He remembered when he saw her in person. He'd stepped out of the small blue car in the parking garage, evaluating the people Steve had called for aid.

The unassuming dark blonde man was impressive. He didn't have the look of a fighter and Bucky had thought that was brilliant. No one would be wary of him, until it was too late. The silver-haired man was there, standing a few feet next to the blonde one, Clint. Bucky remembered him, Wanda's brother, and apparently so did he. The twin, Pietro, had hide it fairly well, enough that the others had no idea, except maybe Clint who had given him a quick yet intense once-over

Pietro had glared at him as soon as they made eye contact and Bucky could only look away, down at his shoes as he worked to keep from curling into a ball. He knew. Pietro knew what he'd done. But then Pietro had shifted to the side and the sight of Wanda had Bucky locking up and nearly flinching back.

Dressed in dark clothing with brown hair in waves around her shoulders, she'd said her hellos to Steve and Sam before shifting her sight to him. He'd held his breath, chest feeling tight and hands slightly shaking as her green eyes took him in. But the hate and disgust that he expected wasn't there. She had some kind of emotion in her eyes but he wasn't sure what it was. One thing he did pick up on was the recognition. She remembered, and that made Bucky want to hide away.

During the rest of the introduction and planning, he'd kept looking over at her, waiting to see if she was upset by his presence. But she didn't show any outward discomfort with him being near, if anything he could feel her own gaze, curious-like, on him when he wasn't actively looking. They'd caught each other's eyes a couple times but all she'd done was offer a small smile each time. Bucky hated himself for that. He didn't deserve any shred of positively from her.

Apparently he wasn't being as sneaky as he thought he was in his observation. Clint had glanced at the pair multiple times, expression betraying nothing to his thinking of what was going on. Bucky could tell he was important to the twins, older brother or father figure, and that made him nervous. The other one was a surprise.

Scott, the new recruit, had given him a double take before looking over at Wanda. He tried to be subtle but Bucky had caught him studying her and then turning eyes over on him. The New Yorker always acted like he didn't see but he watched from the corner of his eye. What was Scott thinking when he looked at him? Looked at Wanda?

He knew he was all over the news, the anchors talking about what he'd done under Hydra's control, all the killings. He deserved it, he'd done all those things. But not Wanda. Bucky was surprised by the flare of protectiveness and he worked to keep it under control. He had no right but he couldn't help it. Even in the far corner of his mind the Soldier was upset by Scott.

It was Wanda's actions during the battle that had confused him and yet given him hope. T'Challa had had him, vibranium claws out and intent on ripping Bucky's throat to shreds when the man's hand had been covered in the red glow. Bucky glanced over and saw Wanda standing a good forty to fifty feet to his left and she'd flung the royalty away from him. He watched his opponent go flying and he'd turned back to give her a nod of thanks but saw Natasha tackle her to the ground. It nearly had the Soldier breaking free.

He gotten up and ran over to get the red-haired woman off the Sokovian but found he didn't need to help. Wanda had released a blast of red energy that sent the other woman across the tarmac. He only had a moment to relax when he'd noticed Colonel Rhodes flying in their direction.

The Soldier broke free for a second, using the serum's speed to nearly materialize next to Wanda. He'd tucked her against their chest, using the metal arm to cover them. Both the Soldier and Bucky had been angry at Rhodes for shooting at Wanda but they'd relaxed when realizing it was only rubber bullets. The Soldier receded and Bucky returned, trying to block as much of Wanda with his body as he could. The hard rubber bullets stung but he ignored the pain.

A second later Wanda had created a shield to cover them, then using it as a battering ram against the metal suit. At that point they'd both looked at each other, Bucky suddenly realizing how close they were. He'd froze, only able to give a stiff nod to Wanda's own thanks. It was when she ran off that he was able to breath again. Of course, his breath left him again when the group had discussed giving up so Steve and him could escape. It meant she would be at the mercy of the authorities. He'd wanted to object but it didn't seem appropriate. He could only bit his tongue and go along with the plan.

The Soldier had almost come back when they'd heard Wanda scream out in pain behind them as they ran, her red energy net disappearing. He'd looked back and seen the brunette curled up on the floor, sonic waves crashing over her form from the War Machine's gauntlet. Both Bucky and Soldier had cursed, one in English the other in Spanish. But they couldn't stop and had ran the last feet as quickly as their serum allowed. They'd caught a faint glance of Pietro as he ran past Bucky and Steve so he knew she was taken care of but he had still stressed about it.

He'd heard the Sokovian language in his ear, them talking about leaving the airport and he'd hoped that they had gotten away but it seemed Clint was important to the duo. Important enough for Pietro to risk getting caught. Which he had.

"There it is. They said we can land in the field in front of the house."

Bucky was up and next to Steve, looking out the window as they came up on a white house with green accents surrounded by farm land. It was in the middle of nowhere, with neighbors over five miles away in any direction. The pilot maneuvered the craft to descend. Bucky was running out of time.

"Steve?" Both T'Challa and Steve looked over at him and he worked hard to keep his nerves. This could possibly be his one chance. "I need to talk to Wanda for a few minutes. Alone."

Steve was confused but he nodded. "Let me ask." He gazed off, mentally reaching out for the Sokovian.

They had explained to him that Wanda was a type of telepath which scared him. His mind was a mess and he didn't want her to see what he'd done. It's one thing to hear about it but another to actually witness it.

"She says go head, she'll be in the living room. She'll call when the talk is over so you got time." Steve nodded at Bucky, patting him on the shoulder.

That gave him some confidence and he walked down the ramp, making his way through the field to the dirt road that led to the house. What little courage he had was slowly dwindling as he got closer. The house was a two story with a small porch, one lone wicker chair occupying the deck. He could hear children playing in the back of the house, remembering that the homeowners had children. He also marveled at the stealth of the Wakandian airship. No one had reacted to their landing. Finally he reached the door, slowly opening and easing into the house.

He froze in the door way, hand gripping the knob as the brunette rose from the couch. Soldier and him both noticed how stiff she was and the large bruise that colored her chest, their combined protective instincts rising. She was hurt, still healing from the fight with the others.

She smiled softly at him. "Hello James."

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 **There you go. It may be one or two more chapters, maybe three, after this and then its done with Black Panther afterward. That one will probably be shorter. I can finally work on jinXed. How do we feel about this one? Let me know guys! Peace out. -Mez**


	8. Chapter 8

**Finally! Here we have chapter eight. This turned out way longer than I anticipated but oh well. This time there really should be one more chapter left. It might be long like this too but that'll be the last one. The sequel will take place durning Black Panther but I'll probably put in under the cross over section. That'll be shorter than Mirage was. Shout out time! To those who favorited, alerted, and followed: acrossthedeepbluesea, sillystring-rox-the-earth, SakuraDagger15, and Styson. Also like the other chapters, italics is spoken Sokovian, italics and underlined is Sokovian telepathy while plain underline is just English telepathy. Let's go.**

* * *

She could tell he was nervous and caught off guard, completely frozen in the doorway of the house. Wanda rose from her spot on the couch, watching how his eyes narrowed at her stiff movement and how he immediately noticed her bruised chest, his expression grim. She knew it looked bad. Starting just underneath the collarbone and spreading down past her shirt, the contusion was dark purple with the edges barely morphing into a sickly green, courtesy of King T'Challa. When Jamie had found out she was very upset and angry on Wanda's behalf seeing as the Sokovian mother knew something like that could happen and had just accepted it.

She hoped the smile she gave him was reassuring. "Hello James."

Her voice broke him out of his trance and he let out a breath before entering the house, closing the door after himself. James stayed turned around facing away from her for several seconds before he spoke, words soft and unsure. "You…know who I am?"

The question was quite meaningful. And she knew exactly what he was asking. Wanda nodded even though he couldn't see her. "Yes." She could see the slight tremble in his hands, the way his shoulders bunched together almost like he was bracing himself as he turned around to face her. The shine of growing tears highlighted the anguish in steel blue eyes and it made Wanda's heart ache.

"Do you…remember me?" A loaded question.

Wanda looked down a second before returning his stare. "Yes, James, I remember you." His shoulders hitched up further, eyes pinched almost in pain. Except it didn't make sense to Wanda, at least not completely. "Do you remember me? Both of you?"

He refused to open his eyes but he gave a jerking nod. He started to take deep breaths, trying to stay calm but Wanda needed to know, because she wasn't so sure he did remember.

"Do you remember everything? From start to finish?"

He started trembling, shaking his head. "I don't need to. I know what happened next."

Wanda frowned. "James, I think you should remember. All of it."

His eyes snapped open and he flinched back from her. Tears started to accumulate and the tortured expression made her want to take it back, but she couldn't. He shook his head again, voice hoarse. "..No. Why-why would you…"

"What you think happened, is actually very different from the reality." He frowned at her words. Hopefully that would prompt him, get him to remember everything that happened. He would never be able to move past his self-deprecation if he didn't find out the truth. Until then. "If anything I owe you a great deal. So thank you."

He looked mystified, in disbelief that someone could say such things about him, to him. What made Wanda sad was the fact that he wouldn't take anything she said to heart until he saw for himself. And that was fine with her, she was patient.

She took the time to study him for a second, dressed differently than the last time she'd seen him. And he was angled in a way that shielded his left arm from her sight. Which didn't make much sense as she had seen the bionic limb in Germany already. She peered closely than frowned in worry, fighting the urge to rush to his side. "James, what happened to your arm?"

He flinched at her alarmed tone of voice before looking down to his left, at the empty space where his arm should be. "Nothing. Just…things went a bit differently than Steve and me thought in Siberia."

She wanted to ask questions, burned with the need to know what happened. But she fought against it, knowing that since Steve and James were here, they had to have defeated the other Winter Soldiers. Besides, he clearly didn't want to talk about it, so she would leave it be but she wondered if she'd be able to get Steve to tell her what happened.

There was a shrill of joy from the children playing outside and Wanda knew that she needed to deal with that as well. It wouldn't be right to keep them apart. And she had never wanted that in the first place. She looked over at him, thinking about how to explain.

"I must show you something but please remember that what you think happened, how it happened, is not the reality."

James frowned at her again, confused and unsure but he nodded. Wanda led the way, into a small hallway that brought them to the kitchen. She walked around the island in the middle of the room to lean against it, a few feet away from the sink and facing the window. Close enough for those inside to have a clear view out but anyone outside wouldn't be able to immediately see inside.

James had stopped at the entrance to the kitchen, wary of stepping out into possible view of the window. She looked over her shoulder at him. "This home belongs to the relatives of a member of your Howling Commandos. You're safe here James. Come and see."

She turned back around to watch the children play, barely able to hear James as he came slowly closer. Wanda knew the moment he saw her when she heard the sharp intake of breath. He came to stand on her right and Wanda glanced over to see his reaction.

Mouth slightly agape and eyes wide, she saw him track Jamie's movements as the toddler cried out in joy, laughing as she ran around playing tag with the other four children. The Sokovian watched and waited for the questions.

James swallowed a few times, licked his lips, and opened his mouth repeatedly, almost like he wasn't sure how to ask his questions. He finally decided on one. "She-She's my…my daugh-" He took a deep breath. "My dau-" He couldn't quite ask it.

Wanda decided to have mercy. "Yes, James. She's your daughter."

He let out a ragged breath, reached up with his remaining arm and gripped his hair. "D-daughter? H-how? No. Never mind."

"Like I told you James, it didn't happen like you think it happened. You just need to remember so I can explain it to you." She'd keep telling him until he did. It was the only way.

He watched Jamie run and laugh, no doubt seeing what Wanda saw. The sturdy way Jamie moved, her speaking skills. She was obviously abnormally advanced for being a little less than eighteen months old. She should be wobbly at walking and speaking two to four words at a time, not shouting out full sentences and running circles around kids four years and more older than her. He was very intelligent to begin with, Hydra's serum made him even more so. He would figure it out quickly. And she wasn't disappointed.

"The serum, my serum. It passed on to her." A statement, not a question.

"Some aspects yes. She's strong for a toddler, but I'm not sure if she'll get as strong as you or Steve when she's older. Her hearing is slightly better than an average human's but again, not like you or Steve. She doesn't have your speed but she hasn't gotten sick once so she might have your immunity. She loves to learn, especially different languages. Right now she knows three. Sokovian, English, and Russian thanks to Natasha. She's so smart James. So smart it's incredible." Wanda can't help the tone in her voice, smiling at her child's father with pride running through her. She tried to not brag about their daughter but it was difficult not to. She hoped he was proud of Jamie too, like she was.

The American next to her only had longing eyes for Jamie, awestruck and the small beginnings of a smile, just the slight upward quirk in the corner of his lips. Wanda was hit with a sudden realization.

When her daughter grinned, wide and all teeth, it was a near replica of Wanda's very own. But when Jamie smirked, sly and mischievous, or when she gave a small, innocent smile that let others know she was happy and content, or really any smile hiding her teeth, it was all the same slight upward pull on the left corner of her mouth that was higher than the other. Just like James.

"What's her name?"

His voice was soft, still in awe of his child. It made Wanda smile. "Jamie Milena Barnes."

He looked over at her. "Barnes?"

Wanda nodded. "Of course. She doesn't really have a birth certificate as she was born in a Hydra base but that's always been her name to me. Milena for my mother and Jamie in honor of you."

He blinked at her, looking unsure at what she had told him. "Why? Why give her my last name? Why name her after me?"

She gave a small smile. "I meant what I said earlier. I owe you a great deal." He started to shake his head. "James." Her sharp tone brought his attention back to her and she mustered as much conviction as she could into her words. "James, you protected me. From Hydra. From the Soldier."

He turned away, back out the window. He wouldn't understand, unless he remembered properly. She could try telling him but he might not believe her, thinking it a ploy. But that would come later. Right now was a moment she had always wanted to witness, had dreamed about. "Would you like to meet her?"

James jerked his head in her direction, eyes wide. He gaped, looking out at Jamie with longing but also distress. She knew what he was thinking. She'd thought about this moment enough to take a pretty accurate guess. Did Jamie know about his past? Did Jamie even know about him? Know he was her father? Did he want to meet her? To bring his darkness into her life? Those were all things he'd be thinking about. They were all things she had thought about.

She had thought of her own darkness enough to understand the fear of one day Jamie finding out about what she had done and being disgusted by it, ashamed of her mother, her father. Which was why Wanda had told Jamie when she was young, in simple terms, that she had once been a bad person because she had been hurt and was angry but her father had always been a good man who got hurt by bad people. And then those same bad people made him do bad things. She'd been given a second chance and she was better now. Her father deserved the same thing.

"Does…Does she know? Who I am? What I am?" James' voice was soft, weak, fearful.

"She knows Uncle Steve's your best friend. She knows you were kidnapped by Hydra and they did bad things to you. The same people who hurt me. She knows they made you do bad things. She knows she got her eyes from you because you're her father."

Tears started to gather, making his eyes shine. "You told her? That I'm…her father?"

Wanda smiled at the question. "She knew before I told her."

James furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Wanda took a moment to pull her thoughts together. "It was a few months after I had joined the Avengers that I found out who you really were. Steve has pictures of you and one day I saw them. We started talking and I steered the talk to you. He told me what happened back then, with Zola and Red Skull. Then he told me about Shield and DC. Steve knew you were out there somewhere and I wanted more than anything to find you. To help you get yourself back. To have you meet your child but that would mean explaining myself to the others and I couldn't do that. Not without talking to you first. And then Steve started telling stories about you and him to Jamie. So many. And she listened, every time. Her focus completely on Steve whenever he said your name. What really changed was about four months ago, when I took her to the big museum in DC."

"The Smithsonian?"

She looked over at him in surprise. "Yes."

He turned his gaze to the floor. "After DC, I got away from Hydra. With everything Steve had said to me, I needed to know. This was before the memories came back. I heard about the exhibit so I went. I saw my face, my life written out for people to see and read. A life I couldn't remember. It helped, things started to come back after that. Little bits at a time and more as the weeks and months went by."

She nodded. "I wanted to show her Steve before he was the Captain. Show her the people from Steve's stories, the Howling Commandos. I also wanted her to see you. Not for her to find pictures of you from when Hydra had you, from DC. That section about you, the wall of glass with your face, at the bottom of the information there is a television screen. They were playing some videos of you and Steve during the war. There's a clip with the two of you smiling, laughing together. I showed her, told her that was James Barnes, Bucky from Uncle Steve's stories." Wanda had to pause, her eyes stinging from the building tears, the emotions getting to her. She took a breath and kept going.

"Jamie stared at it for a few seconds, completely focused. And then she smiled and laughed, nearly jumped out of my arms to reach the screen. I ended up using my phone to video tape the footage so she could watch it later but also take a picture of you and Steve laughing together. And she did watch it, every day. Usually in the morning when she had just woken up and right before going to bed, a large smile on her face. A week after the visit I decided to tell her who you were, that you were more than just Bucky from the stories. So I asked her, 'Jamie, do you know who James is? Who Bucky is?' I expected her to say that you were Uncle Steve's best friend, a Howling Commando, something like that. But she didn't. She smiled and in her most serious, sure voice said to me, 'Daddy. He's Daddy.'"

Wanda's voice wavered, remembering how confidant Jamie was that day, her sweet smile so much like James'. Wiping the few tears that escaped, she looked over at her child's father to gauge his reaction. He was taking deep breaths, eyes closed and head turned downward. What made her lips quiver was the wet pathways that traced from the corner of his eyes down the crease of his nose and over his lips. She could only guess at his feelings but she figured they were in line with how she had felt when Jamie had said she loved Wanda for the first time. In disbelief that a creature so pure could love anything as ugly and dark as her. Wanda collected herself and kept going.

"I asked how she knew and she simply said he gave me his eyes, his lips. I hadn't understood just how intelligent she was until then. She simply just knew. I confirmed it but I did have to tell her that she couldn't tell anyone, for protection. She agreed, saying that bad people would try to hurt you if anyone knew. Such a young age and she already knew the dangers." Wanda smiled at her next thoughts.

"But something beautiful happened that night James, when she watched the video. She asked if she could do what she wanted to do now. I didn't know what she meant but when the clip of you smiling and laughing came up, she leaned forward and kissed your face, saying ' _Goodnight Daddy_.' And in the morning, when she watched it, she did it again. Giving you a big kiss and telling you ' _Good morning Daddy._ ' She did this everyday."

Wanda gave a small chuckle. "She was very upset when I had to leave my phone behind. She almost couldn't sleep. I had to have someone print off a picture of you, from the same clip so she could give you kisses. She keeps it with her." Wanda glanced outside at Jamie. "She probably has it in her pocket right now."

Looking over at James he was once again staring outside, a certain warmth in his weary eyes as he watched his daughter play. She also noted the fresh tear track tracing his cheek. He turned to his right slightly, wiping at his face which Wanda made sure to look away from to give him privacy. In the corner of her eye she saw him turn in her direction, and she gazed back, his expression wary.

"How much…how much can I be involved? In Jamie's life?" He was giving her the final say.

She wanted to frown but kept it away. She stared back at him, green to steel blue. "I don't want to keep you away from Jamie at all. I want her to be able to give you kisses any time of day, for her to be able to play outside with you. For her to fall asleep curled against your side in the evening. I want you involved in every aspect of her life. But what about you James? Do you want that? How much of Jamie's life do you wish to be a part of?"

This question, this scenario, was Wanda's absolute fear. That James would not want anything to do with Jamie. If that was the case, she would need to banish him immediately lest Jamie caught sight of him. His rejection would destroy her child and Wanda refused to let that happen. But it seemed her fear was unfounded as James looked at her, a tear escaping and spilling down his cheek.

"All of it. I want all of it."

She let out a shaky breath and gave him a grateful smile. The relief she felt nearly made her slump. She wiped at her eyes, making sure there wasn't a trace of saline left. Jamie would see it and immediately think something was wrong. She glanced at James, his face also now clean of tears. "Before I call her in, how does the Soldier feel about Jamie?"

His face tightened but it was a question that needed asking. His gaze turned inward for a few seconds before he refocused. He licked his lips, eyebrows furrowed. He looked a little puzzled. "He's…protective. Of Jamie. Of you."

She nodded at his words. Good enough for her. "I'm gonna use my telepathy to call for Jamie. I can tell you she'll be very excited but she'll ask you if it's okay to touch you, hug you. She knows some of us have issues so she always asks before she does anything. Just let her know if it's okay."

James nodded, letting out a deep breath, his hand coming up to fix his hair. Next he looked down, fidgeting with his shirt, trying to smooth it out and seemingly checking for stains.

She nearly smirked at him, finding his nervousness adorable and funny. "You look fine. Your clothes and hair won't matter to her."

He gave a sheepish expression but closed his eyes and took in a deep breath before letting it slowly out, steadying himself. He looked at her and nodded.

She returned the gesture, hiding her own anxiety from James. She was just as jittery as him but trying hard to hide it. This was the moment she'd been waiting for. _"Jamie, could you come inside for a moment?"_

Watching her daughter from the window Wanda saw the moment her voice registered to Jamie. The toddler stopped what she was doing, turning to look back at the house and finding her mother through the window. The Sokovian also witnessed the moment Jamie noticed her father, eyes lighting up and lips forming the biggest smile Wanda had ever seen. On her right she heard James' sharp intake of breath at the sight.

Jamie began running toward the house after that, the endless mental chant of 'Daddy, Daddy, Daddy' emitting from their daughter's mind. The back door opened with surprising restraint and suddenly chestnut-haired Jamie was standing in the kitchen, mere feet from James. Who she was about to meet in person for the first time. Wanda held her breath as Jamie, eyes fixated and smile nearly overtaking her cheeks, took careful steps toward her father.

For his part James managed to keep the tears from running over but the shine of the accumulated saline added emphasis to his gray-blue eyes. The same color as Jamie's. Wanda watched as James slowly started to kneel until he was at the same level as his daughter, both of them staring at each other.

"Hi Daddy."

James' lips trembled slightly as he smiled back. "Hi Jamie."

The one and a half year old shuffled her feet joyfully, grin widening even further at hearing her name from his lips. She slowly brought up her hands. "Can I touch your face?"

Another shaky smile. "Of course you can."

Slowly Jamie reached out, gently cupping James' stubble-ridden cheeks in her palms as her eyes roved over his face, taking in his features. "Thank you for my eyes."

James smiled gently, lifting his hand to cover Jamie's own, pressing her palm securely to his face. "You're welcome Jamie."

Again hearing her name from her father had the toddler nearly shaking with excitement but she kept in under control. Her smile, however, refused to dim. "Can I give you a kiss?"

James nodded and Jamie leaned forward, little cherub lips placing a delicate kiss on James' own. Their curly-haired child giggled happily and Wanda knew what she was thinking, even without the aid of red-tinted telepathy. Jamie was able to give her father an actual kiss, not his photo or a phone screen.

Jamie started to pet the scruff on James' face, asking another request. "Can I give you a hug?"

"Go ahead."

The toddler smiled, moving her arms slowly from his face down and around his neck, pulling herself into his shoulder. James pinched his eyes shut, basking in the feel of Jamie hugging him. Wanda knew that feeling. Coming home from an exhausting mission to Jamie's hugs and sweet baby scent that was entirely her, there was no other sensation or emotion in the universe that could compare. And Wanda was happy that she was fortunate enough to see James experience that same feeling for the first time. He looked up at her, one tear tracing down his cheek as he mouthed the words, 'thank you.'

All she could do was give a smile and curt nod to keep from breaking out into sobs. This moment was better than she could have imagined.

"Can…Can I pick you up Jamie?" James sounded unsure of his request but Wanda knew he had nothing to worry about.

"Yes please," was the little girl's enthusiastic response, shuffling her feet in anticipation. James wrapped his arm around Jamie and stood up, balancing her on his forearm.

"Whoa." Jamie, trusting her father to not drop her, let go of his neck and looked back, peering down at how high she was. The little girl was usually carried around by Wanda or Pietro, with Steve and Sam coming in third and forth respectively. The two Sokovians were on the shorter end of the spectrum with Steve being the tallest.

Actually Vision and Thor were the tallest Avengers but Jamie had been too young to properly interact with Thor and she disliked Vision so intensely that there was no way she'd ever consent to being picked up by him, so Steve was her experience with being high off the ground. But Wanda knew it was different when your father picked you up, the memories of her own childhood reminding her. And Jamie didn't disappoint.

The chestnut-haired girl turned back to James and instead of hugging him around the neck like before she curled inward against him, bringing her arms to her chest and burrowing her head under his jaw, soft words spoken against his neck. "You're so strong Daddy."

Wanda turned her head away, biting back the emotions battering at her restraint. Witnessing them together, interacting with each other, and seeing the quick but intense love James had for his newly discovered child was enough to have Wanda sobbing uncontrollably but she took a few breaths to help wrangle back control.

 _"Momma?"_

Wanda wiped the salty evidence away, making sure her face was clean before turning to the acquainting pair. _"Yes, Jamie?"_

Twin pairs of slate blue eyes studied her, one as red-rimmed as her own. Jamie watched her with a hint of concern. _"Are you okay Momma?"_

Wanda tried to disguise her sniffle, coming close and brushing a few lost strands of hair over their daughter's ear, before leaning in and placing a kiss on Jamie's temple. _"I'm okay. Just very happy."_

Jamie nodded in understanding, tucking herself back against her father's neck. Feeling his gaze Wanda glanced up, seeing concern and something else on James' face. She knew he spoke Sokovian so he'd been able to keep track of her conversation with Jamie. Obviously he didn't believe her when she said she was okay but Wanda only smiled at him before looking back down at Jamie and tucking her brunette tresses back from her face as the toddler played with James' scruff, all the while aware that her child's father kept staring for a few seconds before turning away.

"Wanda, everything okay?"

Steve's voice broke the peaceful setting, making Wanda jolt and lightly gasp in surprise. James' head snapped up at the sound before his grip tighten on Jamie, gray-blue irises sharp as they darted about the kitchen, anticipating an enemy.

Wanda laid a hand on his arm. _"It's only Steve. It's been longer than a few minutes."_

The tension in his shoulders melted and he nodded at her, letting out a breath. Jamie looked over her shoulder to Wanda.

 _"Uncle Steve is here?"_

The Sokovian mother smiled before looking to James. _"Is it okay if he comes in now?"_ James nodded his consent and Wanda sent out the message to James' dear friend. _"He's on his way."_

James nodded, eyes a little distant, expression grim. "Did Steve know? About me and Jamie?"

The words were spoken casually but Wanda knew what he was wondering. Had Steve known this whole time about Jamie and not told James? Had he kept it from him on purpose or just forgot in the heat of battle?

Wanda shook her head. "No. No one does. Except for Jamie…and Pietro." Which was gonna be difficult. She pushed the thought of that future confrontation out of her mind. She picked something else to bring up, something important. "You know, Steve is Jamie's godfather."

He looked up in surprise, a faint smile pulling at his lips. "Really?"

She nodded. "It was a few weeks after I found out who you were, who Steve was to you, that the other Avengers explained the concept to me and he was the only real choice. He's a good man and considering how close you two were, I knew that he would have been your choice as well."

James nodded as he laid his cheek on top of Jamie's head. "Yeah, Punk woulda been my choice."

They heard the front door open and the trio turned to look at the entrance of the kitchen just as footfalls drew near, Steve's silhouette becoming corporeal.

"Hey Wanda, Jamie, glad to…" Steve trailed off, standing frozen halfway into the kitchen as he repeatedly looked wide eyed from James to tiny Jamie perched on his friend's arm.

"Uncle Steve!" Jamie waved from her spot against James' chest, small quirked smile on her lips, unknowingly copying her father. It only fueled what Wanda knew he was thinking. She could see him making the connection as his eyes seemed to grow impossibly wider.

"Hi Jamie…Wanda, Buck…you…fondued?"

The Sokovian glanced at James who also seemed confused. She turned back to Steve. "What?"

He grew red, shaking his head. "No, I mean…I don't know what I mean. You have to give me a second. Just…surprised. And feeling really dumb right now. I mean, look at you two. Bucky, she's got your eyes and lips, she's got the same kinda curly hair as your sisters. I should have known. How did this happen? Why didn't I know? Why didn't you tell me Wanda?"

Now Steve looked hurt but Wanda felt her logic was sound. Plus, the 'how' was very complicated and she would only reveal it when James knew and if he was comfortable with anyone knowing. She could at least answer one of Steve's questions. "James didn't know. It felt wrong for anyone else to know before him. When I found out he was your friend I wanted you involved with Jamie as much as possible."

His eyes lit up. "That's why you made me Jamie's godfather."

Wanda nodded. "Like I told James, you are a good man and I knew you would have been his choice as well."

Steve turned hopeful eyes to his friend. "Really?"

James managed a smile bordering on a smirk. "You really gotta ask that Punk?"

It was just like when Wanda had first told him that she'd picked him for the role. Steve's smile was nearly giddy as he walked up to James and encased both Jamie and his friend in a massive hug. "Oh man Buck, you're a Dad! I have a niece!"

James and Steve laughed at the words, both of them varying degrees of disbelief and joy. Everything was going so smoothly, Wanda couldn't believe it. Steve wasn't upset at not being told Jamie was his best friend's daughter and James hadn't rejected Jamie. He wanted to be fully involved with their daughter's life, embracing his new title. The only issue she foresaw was Pietro, but she would deal with that at a later date. Right now she just wanted to bask in the familial warmth.

The three others were now all conversing in French, James having a fluency that sounded far more superior to Steve's, his husky tone enchanting Jamie as she listened wide eyed and spoke back what she could. Wanda leaned against the kitchen's island, chin in her hand as she watched the trio talk. She heard the front door open and knew that had to be Pinkie's grandson David, the owner of the house, back from the hardware store.

She went to call out to him but he was already heading in their direction so she forwent the call and instead turned to smile at him as he eased into the kitchen. Except it wasn't David.

Her smile fell away and dread swept through her. No. No, no, no, no. King T'Challa along with two women dressed in red and armed with fierce spears stood in the entrance to the kitchen. Mere feet from James and Jamie.

"Run." The flow of French tapered off at her voice but she didn't allow them a chance to speak. "Run!"

Garnet energy exploded from Wanda, lashing out and wrapping around her past opponent and his escorts, sending them against the far wall. At her back the scarlet had sealed the room in half, a translucent crimson wall keeping the others safe.

The two men spoke her name, Jamie calling out for her but she kept her eyes on the three she was enclosed with. Wanda bared her teeth when she noticed T'Challa look behind her, his eyes widening at seeing James and Jamie no doubt.

"No." She growled the words, taking a step forward, her fingers twitching. Red wrapped itself around the man's throat and shifted his face upward, making sure he couldn't see her child and James. Another twitch of her fingers and the shield behind her shuddered, solidifying to keep the three intruders from seeing her family. She gave another biting reprimand. "No."

She heard the thumps of Steve and James hitting the force field, muffled shouts but she refused to let them help. They were wasting time. "I said run, get out of here!"

"Miss Maximoff."

She tensed at the man's accented voice, narrowing her eyes at him while ignoring the wrathful stares from the two woman. Wanda let the man's head go, allowing him to look at her. He was calm and she hated the hint of understanding in his dark eyes.

"I assure you, I mean no harm. Steve was to tell you of my involvement but I believe there has been some miscommunication. If you ask them, they can explain."

Wanda couldn't help think about the all consuming rage she'd felt from him during the battle and knew she couldn't completely trust him. She hadn't come this far and finally gotten what she wanted for her child only to have it ripped away from her.

She kept the trio locked in place but a quick wrist twitch and the shield became translucent again. Steve's and James' shouts abruptly stopped, Jamie continuing to cry out for her. She refused to turn around, choosing to keep her sight on the intruding three.

"Wanda, it's okay. T'Challa's okay. He knows what really happened. He's not after Bucky. He's helping us. He's offered us asylum in Wakanda. It's okay."

She listened to Steve's explanation, baring her teeth when T'Challa looked over her shoulder where she sensed Jamie and James stood. She shifted, moving to block the man's sight, a twitch in her hands as a warning. He looked away, giving her a nod.

As much as she trusted Steve, her team leader could be too trusting, a bit naïve. She recognized this trait building in herself. It seemed the year away from Sokovia and its harsh way of life had soften Wanda. She knew whose words to trust.

 _"James, is this true?"_ Because she knew he wouldn't be deceived. His past, his present, it made him cautious, made him cynical.

 _"Yes. He's the one that gave Zemo to the authorities. He apologized and promised sanctuary for us."_

 _"You think he's honorable?"_

He was quiet behind Wanda. _"Yes."_

She nodded at his words but added. _"Keep holding her, I will need my hands free."_

 _"Yeah."_

Just one last thing. _"Stay with your father."_

The toddler hadn't spoken since Steve started talking but now she did, quiet and wary of the situation. _"Yes, Momma."_

Turning her attention to T'Challa and his spear-wielding companions, she released him from the red but kept the women against the wall. "My apologies." "If you try to hurt them or have any intention to harm them, I will not hesitate to kill you. Understood?"

He stood tall, causing her fingers to twitch but he only nodded at her, face serious. "I understand."

Next she released the two warriors, both of them landing lithely on the balls of their feet, expressions aggressive. Wanda knew they were insulted and upset she'd attacked their ruler. She didn't care though, not with her family involved. They each gripped their weapons and she raised her hands in warning but T'Challa gave a firm foreign word and they relaxed, the spear heads tilting upward. The King nodded at her and she relaxed out of her stance, eyeing the two bodyguards.

He gestured to them. "They will not attack. They are only here to protect me. I apologize if our presence startled you."

She didn't say anything just nodded and with a flick of her wrist the shield behind her dissolved. Immediately Steve came forward to talk to T'Challa but she slinked back, gravitating to James and Jamie but kept her eyes locked on the two women as they watched her as well.

Just as she reached the pair, she turned her back to check on Jamie. The curly-haired child was gripping James' jacket, watching T'Challa and his red clad bodyguards suspiciously. It was a bit unnerving to see father and daughter with the same exact expression of narrowed slate blue eyes, downward lips, and furrowed eyebrows.

James had their daughter clutched against him, angling his body so he blocked Jamie from the rest of the room, now wary of the two women. _"You okay?"_

Wanda ran a hand through Jamie's hair to calm herself. _"Yeah, they just surprised me. Last time I saw him was at the airport."_

James glanced at her for a second, focused on the still healing bruise on her chest for a second before turning eyes back on the newcomers.

She watched Steve and T'Challa talk. _"Why didn't you guys tell me they were here with you? That he was helping?"_

His frown twitched upward for a second while shifting Jamie in his arm. _"You surprised Steve and me."_

She fought back a small smile. _"A good one I hope."_

This time he turned to look warmly at her, the corners of his lips pulling up. _"Best one ever actually."_

"Wanda."

Steve's voice broke the teasing, any trace of humor vanishing off both parents' faces as they turned to see the others drawing near.

Their blonde friend gestured between them. "Sorry about that Wanda. I was suppose to let you know about T'Challa. He really is going to help us. So, Wanda Maximoff, King T'Challa of Wakanda. King T'Challa, Wanda Maximoff."

The sovereign leader stepped forward. "You may call me T'Challa as I have told your Captain." He smirked at Steve who looked a bit sheepish but turned to Wanda with his hand outstretched. "Miss Maximoff."

She grasped his hand and gave a firm shake. "Wanda please."

He nodded at her request and she could see him look over her shoulder where James still had Jamie hidden, curious about the child. But before anyone could say anything, a small voice spoke out.

"Are you the Black Panther?"

Everyone turned to see Jamie leaning out from her father's chest, eyes intent on T'Challa. The man in question nodded at her. "Yes I am, child."

Jamie whispered to James. _"Daddy can you put me down?"_

The dark-haired man glanced at Wanda who nodded her consent. He turned back to T'Challa, narrowing his eyes slightly at the two women before slowly easing down and placing Jamie on her feet.

No one was prepared.

Jamie marched forward, reaching T'Challa only to cock her leg back and swiftly kick him twice in the shin.

 _"Jamie!"_

 _"Jamie."_

"Jamie!"

She ignored the stunned adults, giving some resistance when Wanda pulled her back. "That's for trying to hurt my Daddy and beating up my Momma. Daddy didn't do anything but you tried to hurt him anyway and Momma was just trying to protect me and him."

It was the most Wanda had ever heard Jamie speak but right now she was horrified that her child had kicked the one person who was giving them safety. _"Jamie, you can not kick people for no reason."_

Her child looked up at her, pointing to her and James. _"But he hurt you and Daddy for no reason."_

James sighed, Wanda and the others watching as he crouched down. _"Jamie, he had been very hurt and lost his own Dad. He had a reason. I'm…not a good man."_

 _"James…"_ Wanda scolded gently, because she knew that wasn't true. She wasn't the only one.

Jamie wasn't listening, shaking her head and tears forming. _"Hydra did bad things to you. They made you do bad things. They're bad. You're good. You're a good man. Uncle Steve and Momma said so and so do I."_

It was only T'Challa who managed to catch Jamie's attention as he stepped forward. Wanda was surprised when he kneeled down in front of the toddler.

"Dear child, I ask for forgiveness from you for attacking your family. I let my grief and vengeance consume my mind beyond reason. As a King, warrior, and man, I am ashamed for my reckless behavior. I ask for forgiveness from both you and your Mother. Please forgive me for my transgressions." He ended his speech by crossing his arms against his chest and bowing forward.

Wanda watched wide eyed at the display, looking to Jamie who was staring up at her, slightly confused but also expectant. She would follow her mother's lead. Stepping forward Wanda crouched next to her daughter, looking at the bowed royalty.

"I understand the grief of losing a loved one to the point of consuming vengeance. It becomes the one thing that holds you together. I have experienced it, acted on it, and it nearly cost me everything. I can not pass judgment on you for doing the same exact thing. Also as a fighter, I knew there would be injuries between us from our fighting. So I have nothing to forgive as I wasn't offended. But if only to make it official then I forgive you King T'Challa for attacking James and myself."

The bowed man gave a quick dip but stayed in his bowed position and Wanda knew he was waiting on Jamie. For her part the little girl turned to James who remained at her side. _"What about you Daddy?"_

He gave a her a quick smile. _"He already apologized before we got here. It's okay."_

Jamie looked thoughtful, turning back to the wilted man in front of her. "You promise not to hurt them?"

T'Challa kept his head down but nodded. "Yes. I promise as a King and man, to do all I can to keep your family safe."

Jamie seemed to think about his words. "I forgive you then. But if you break your promise I'll kick you again."

 _"Jamie."_

 _"Jamie."_

Both Wanda and James spoke at the same time, a slight reprimand in her name. She was mortified that her daughter just threatened a King. By the look on Steve's face he was also shocked. However Wanda saw the two women fighting back twitching lips. They found Jamie's declaration amusing.

Their daughter looked back and forth at them, slightly offended. _"Only if he breaks his promise. That's a reason."_

Quiet laughing brought everyone's attention back to T'Challa who was now out of his bowed position and was resting back on his heels. "That seems quite fair, young one. If I break my vow, you may kick me."

Jamie brightened, looking to Wanda and her father excitedly. _"See!"_

"Thank you child." T'Challa was smiling at Jamie and he moved to get up but Wanda was surprised by her daughter once more.

The chestnut haired girl walked forward and threw her arms around the royalty in a hug, whispering to the man. "I'm sorry you lost your Dad. I just got mine and I would be very sad if I had to lose him too. I'm sorry."

Wanda could feel her tears gathering. There had been one point during the airport fight where Jamie had nearly lost James. If Wanda hadn't been in time or hadn't seen them fighting, her child would have never had the chance to meet her father.

She ignored James and Steve's stares, instead watched T'Challa hug Jamie back. She released him and he stood, gentle smile on his face. Jamie tilted her head at him.

"So…do I call you King T'Challa?"

The group laughed, but the ruler shook his head. "You may call T'Challa like the rest of your family."

Jamie nodded seriously then outstretched her hand. "I'm Jamie."

Wanda stood and watched amusingly as the two greeted each other, the tension draining out of the room. "So, we're going to Wakanda?" Jamie returned to her father, being lifted up in his arm as he also stood.

Steve nodded at her. "That's the plan."

"Is that okay though? For me to go specifically."

The group knew what she was getting at as they all wore solemn expressions. T'Challa stepped forward, his face firm. "As King of my country, I vow to you that no harm will befall you. Anything from the past shall remain there. You are not at fault Miss Maximoff. What happened was unfortunate yes, but at the time, it was the only option to avoid an even higher mortality. I do not hold any grievance."

Wanda kept her gaze down. "And the families?"

T'Challa was silent for a breath. "They are in pain yes, in mourning. But I plan on talking to them when we return to Wakanda. For them to understand."

She looked up at him. "If it's possible, I wish to meet them."

Steve spoke out against the idea and she knew why. The families would be in pain, in sorrow, and they would have a physical outlet for those feelings. The chance they would act against her was high.

"Is that wise Miss Maximoff?"

Even T'Challa seemed against it but Wanda knew it was something she had to do. "After everything, it's something I need to do. They deserve to say their peace, to let those feelings out against the source."

"Wanda…"

"Steve." James had cut off his friend, gray blue eyes studying Wanda. "If it's something she feels needs to be done, let her. _To pay back what you've done, right?_ "

The last part was for her. Wanda knew he would understand her request. _"Yes, my penance."_

T'Challa nodded. "It is a honorable request that I will take it into consideration as you are to be in hiding from the rest of the world. But first, shall we be on our way?"

Wanda glanced over at Jamie who had tucked herself back against her father's chest, head cuddled on his shoulder as she pet his scruff. James was watching Wanda, firm expression in place, cool eyes intent on her. It would be intimidating if it wasn't for Jamie's small hands moving upward to play with his hair, the beginnings of a braid forming. Finally she looked at Steve, who was watching fondly off to the side. She nodded at him.

Her team leader turned to T'Challa. "Let's get going."

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 **T'Challa's so hard to write. So yeah. There we go. It was way longer than I intended but oh well. Should be one more chapter and then the Black Panther sequel which will be done in the crossover section. After that will be Infinity War. Let me know what you guys thought of this chapter!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the long wait, I worked on jinXed for a while and then I had trouble with this chapter. There's some medical stuff that I couldn't explain right but hopefully no one judges me too harshly. Seriously should only be one more chapter after this. So shout out time to those who favorited, reviewed, and followed Mirage: Regin, Jade-chan21, xXCuteMariaClaraXx, directojuliancesar, Shio-Sama21, princess moonlightgisaeng, PeonyFlowerLady, Misaki-Hime20, MYU-MYU (guest), tanakaL, juury, Queen Harley of F. U.N., mysterynotsolved, kaytplops, tselea, StarWarsandDisneylover, ptxl02 (guest), bribri1300, and guest reviewer who didn't leave a name. Also there's a lot of spoken Sokovian in here so that'll be what the italics are and mental Sokovian in in italic and underlined. Onward!**

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Wanda stood off to the side, leaning against a counter and very wary of touching anything in the large room. She was amazed at the drastic contrast when it came to the word Lab.

Tony's resembled more of a mechanic's garage than anything scientific. Sure he had computer screens everywhere but there was also grease, wrenches, and other various tools scattered about along with bits and pieces of machinery littered on nearly every surface. All in all, chaotic but she'd also seen Tony maneuver the room with startling ease and thus she figured he literally had a method to his particular madness.

But in this lab? Clean, no unnecessary clutter, everything in its place. Wanda had actually thought the lab was missing things but apparently Shuri was just organized. The large windows displaying the vibranium mines lessened the scientific feel but the fact remained that Wanda was still quite hesitant to touch anything or really set foot in such a room. She had never been good with electronics and Tony's system at the compound had made her fumble even more. But she had good reason for being here. And he was sitting down on a bench a few feet away from her.

During the journey to Wakanda Wanda had watched daughter and father get to know one another. They spoke in low tones, the Spanish words exchanged back and forth. It was a language that Wanda had wanted Jamie to learn but there had been no one to teach her as her existence outside of the team wasn't known. She was sure Natasha knew the language but considering she was already teaching her Italian it had had to be put on hold.

Not anymore. They started the trip with Jamie asking the translations of simple words like sky, leg, and dog. By the time they had reached Wakandan borders Wanda could hear the emergence of full sentences.

T'Challa had landed the aircraft at an outpost on the edge of the valley that housed the capital, smuggling them through the vibranium mines and sneaking into the palace through his sister's lab.

The new king had been generous, appointing them suites within his own wing of the palace to ensure they wouldn't be discovered. Each suite had its own sitting room with a spacious bedroom outfitted with an enormous bed and an attached bathroom with a Jacuzzi bathtub and roomy shower stall lined with beautiful tile. As she'd grown up in a war torn country and spent much of her time at the compound Wanda had been in awe of everything. But she didn't let that distract her. She had learned something very important from Steve while on their way to Wakanda.

T'Challa had offered to try and remove the Hydra triggers embedded in James' mind.

Hydra hadn't needed such words with Pietro and herself as their anger at Stark fueled them to willingly go along with everything but there had been the possibility after Wanda had gotten pregnant. She'd become defensive and rebellious but all they had needed to do was threaten Pietro and her unborn child to make her compliant. The tactic had also worked on Pietro. After Jamie's birth Hydra kept them apart, using the newborn as a reward system to the twins. With the emotional manipulation, they had never needed to plant triggers.

But due to James' unique mental state Wanda wasn't sure how they would accomplish this. She was sure she could help but she didn't think to ask James. Most people were wary of her and she didn't want to remind him of Hydra with her abilities. In the end she hadn't needed to ask. When T'Challa had said they would go talk to the doctors and Shuri James had requested Wanda come as well.

So here she was, eying Shuri's pristine laboratory and the three doctors along with Shuri and T'Challa standing across from James, a pair of Dora Milaje at attention behind the royalty. Jamie was back in the suite, being watched over by one of T'Challa's red-clad warriors that had experience with children, though she was sure the toddler would behave herself. Both her and James had agreed that she should stay away, at least for now.

One doctor looked up from her notes. "You have some concerns about the triggers in your head? The ones that brings forth the Winter Soldier?"

James didn't keep much eye contact with the medical staff, glancing mostly at Steve and herself. "Yeah, it doesn't actually bring out the Winter Soldier, they're just…reminders of what happened, of what could happen."

The three doctors were confused, glancing and speaking with Shuri. James glanced at Steve who gave a nod of encouragement but then he switched to Wanda, his expression lost. He didn't seem to know how to tell them and he was looking to her for some kind of guidance. She was the only one who knew about the Soldier, about the others. He would need her.

 _"You have to tell them. They won't be able to understand unless you explain it."_

He grimaced at her. _"I don't wanna upset Steve."_

She glanced at the blonde man, who was looking back and forth between them. He had heard his name and was trying to figure out what they were saying. _"He's going to be upset either way. You can first explain who the Soldier is, why he exists."_ He didn't look at her but he did frown at her words.

"Sergeant Barnes?"

Wanda noticed the group of Wakandans watching their exchange, the barest hint of concern forming on their faces. She shared a glance with James before speaking. "You are here to try and get rid of the triggers, correct? To remove the Winter Soldier from James' mind, yes?"

The three doctors all nodded, their faces earnest. Wanda looked over at her daughter's father who only gave a small sigh. He took her cue. "You can't. You can get rid of the triggers but not the Winter Soldier."

One doctor looked confused. "You want to keep Hydra's creation?"

James shook his head. "I want nothing to do with Hydra. But they didn't make the Soldier. I did. In a way. For protection."

Steve shifted his feet while T'Challa and Shuri glanced at each other. Two of the doctors were writing things down but the third was studying James, glancing at Wanda and back to the other man. Her confusion slipped away, understanding dawning. "You have DID?" The other two doctors perked up, eyes wide, a sense of understanding falling over them.

Steve took a step forward, concerned. "Hold up, what's DID?"

The doctor who figured it out answered. "Dissociative Identity Disorder, formally known as Multiple Personality Disorder. When a person experiences extreme abuse or trauma their psyche, in an effort to protect itself, fractures. In the process of fracturing other personalities emerge, created to protect the host. Those personalities more often than not will take over during the abuse or trauma, absorbing the pain or shame instead. Sergeant Barnes, are you saying the Soldier is a personality of yours?"

James looked down at his feet. "Yeah. There were others but he was the last created and the only remaining one."

"How many others were there?"

Wanda thought back to the clash of voices that she'd heard the first time she used her telepathy on James. She'd been confused but once she had become an Avenger and relocated to the States she'd looked up what it could have meant. That was how she'd found out about the disorder. He must have also researched it when he'd escaped Hydra.

"Including the Soldier, four. Ada, Vinny, and Claire. When…when they started trying to wipe me, I took what memories I could and tried to bury them, to keep them safe. That's what the base of Vinny and Claire were created on. Vinny was everything from around my teens right up until I fell. Claire, she was based off my childhood. Those memories were locked into those personalities. Vinny was around the age that I fell and Claire was roughly seven or eight."

One doctor wrote down a note. "What of Ada and the Soldier? What was their base, their purpose?"

James looked uncomfortable but he blew out a harsh breath and kept going. "Protection. Ada, her age was somewhere around nineteen, twenty; she would take over when things got bad. When they tortured me. And the Soldier…there was only so much Ada could take. At some point it got to be too much, even for her. The pain would start leaking and Vinny tried to block what he could. Me and Claire were last. Hearing the screaming of a little kid was too much. When the Soldier emerged Hydra thought they'd succeeded."

"Why?"

This question came from Shuri and Wanda replied before she could stop herself. "Because the Soldier did whatever it took to keep James and the others from feeling pain, from being in danger. Even if that meant hurting or killing others."

James nodded, the room silent as they absorbed the new information. Finally one of the doctors spoke up. "You said the Soldier is the only personality still present?"

Her child's father nodded. "The others faded in the past two years, but considering how many people there are after me, I don't think he'll ever leave. He was meant to protect, that's his mission."

The doctors made notes, speaking amongst themselves and with the two royalties in the room, letting the visiting trio talk to each other.

"So who did I meet in D.C?"

Wanda could tell Steve was trying to wrap his head around the idea of multiple personalities in one person, let alone within his own friend, but she had to admit she was curious. She had only ever met the Soldier and James, although she'd heard the others in his head.

Steel blue eyes turned thoughtful. "The roof top and highway were the Soldier. The Insight helicarrier was mostly the Soldier and then Vinny, right toward the end. He recognized you. But I was starting to wake up right before you fell off the helicarrier."

Steve nodded, looking thoughtful but James was now staring at Wanda. The Sokovian raised an eyebrow. _"Yes?"_

 _"You're not curious?"_

She shook her head. _"No, I know who I met. With my scarlet I could tell."_

James hummed at her answer. A throat clearing had them turning to the Wakandan group, watching them with a bit of caution. Wanda grew tense. One of the doctors spoke softly. "Sergeant Barnes, you said the trigger words are reminders? For the Soldier?"

James wrung his hands. "You can say they're incentives. If you don't complete the mission, this is what happened, what will happen again. Each word a different torture. Like Wanda said, the Soldier would do anything to keep that from happening to us, to me."

The doctors nodded, talking amongst themselves before one asked what Wanda was hoping they wouldn't. She knew where it would lead. "Sergeant Barnes, is it possible for the Soldier to come forth without the words?"

Steve straighten at the question, a frown pulling at his lips. Wanda could feel the worry pouring off him. She shuffled closer to James.

"Yeah, it's only with the words that he completely takes over. My mind…with the others, it's almost like a house. There's a large space, kinda like a living room with a wall of glass, looking out into the real world. Along the back wall there's four doors leading to our own specific spaces, like a bedroom or whatever. Anytime one of the others took over, they would be in the living room while the rest of us stayed in our specific areas. But the Soldier, he never got a room. He stayed in the living room but in a far corner, always watching, on the look out." James looked up, taking a glance around the lab. "He hears what I hear, sees what I see, whatever's in my peripheral. Sometimes he'd talk to the others or whoever's in charge at the time. But he's always there. That way if something happened, or he saw something we didn't, he would take over. The rest of us would be sent away, almost locked in our rooms so we wouldn't have to see what he had to do."

"So right now he knows what's been going on?" Shuri was curious, her mind a hive of activity to Wanda.

James nodded. "Yeah."

The doctors spoke amongst themselves for a second, just long enough for James to search out Steve and herself. Steve was proud, she could feel it, and she graced James with hopefully a reassuring smile.

"Sergeant Barnes, to best monitor the change and the effect the words have on your mind, would you be comfortable with two scenarios, one having the Soldier coming forth willingly and the other using the words to bring about the change?"

Wanda tightened her fists, uneasy putting James through that. She knew the willful change would not hurt but it was the words that frightened her. But it wasn't her decision to make. If James wanted the words out, they needed to know exactly was happened in his mind to cause such a shift. But there were other elements she was worried about.

"To monitor him, how do you mean?" She didn't want them to stick anything on his head or put him in a tube to study his mind.

Shuri seemed to know her thoughts. "Nothing invasive. My lab is outfitted to take scans without having to physically bother the patients."

Wanda was somewhat satisfied but she couldn't help the worry curling within her. Steve's own fear didn't do her any favors. Nonetheless she looked over to James as he had the final say.

He was silent for a few seconds, his hands wringing themselves before he took a deep breath and let it out. "Okay."

The doctors and Shuri came to life and Wanda's worry grew at the activity but she tried to hide it as James looked up at her and Steve, skin a bit pale.

"It'll be fine Buck."

Wanda wished she could have Steve's hope, his optimism, but she couldn't help the wariness as the doctors and Shuri began poking at different screens, getting ready no doubt.

 _"Does it bother you?"_

Wanda turned to James. _"What?"_

He pointed at her arms, crossed over her chest and the one hand that was pressed against her lips, swiping her thumb back and forth across her bottom lip. He'd deduced one of her nervous habits. _"Being in the lab?"_ He took another glance around the pristine area. _"Does it bother you?"_

She caught herself mid-swipe. _"I know it's different, not the same, but there are times when I get flashbacks. Just for a second. One of the reasons I avoided Tony's lab when I could."_

He nodded. _"You don't have to stay for my sake, if it bothers you."_

 _"Does it bother_ _ **you**_ _?"_

He hesitated, his adam's apple bobbing slightly as he swallowed, looking down for a second. _"It's unnerving."_

 _"Then I'm staying."_ Her answer was swift, precise, sure. She wasn't going to leave him to face the doctors alone.

"Sergeant Barnes, we're ready whenever you are."

Wanda tensed as James turned to Shuri, nodding before he stood up. Wanda flared her scarlet, just the slightest, to read the room. The doctors and Shuri were somewhat excited, no doubt the urge for knowledge the driving force. She'd been around Tony enough to get the same sense from him when he was on the cusp of a discovery. T'Challa was wary, as it was his sister involved, inching closer to her side. Steve was nervous but with a worry tint to it. She could understand that. As for James? He was a mass of nervous energy mere feet from her, anxious being the center of attention.

And suddenly it all disappeared.

The physical change happened a split second after, Steve next to her fidgeting when he also noticed. Both James and Steve were tall men, over six feet, but while Steve always stood at his height, James tended to hunch slightly. She'd noticed it on the trip to Wakanda. With his scruffy appearance he tried to avoid being intimidating, which included curling in on himself so he wouldn't tower over people.

The Soldier had no such issues. He used every bit of James' height, standing straight with fists clenched as sharp eyes did a quick inventory of the room. Exits and entrances, T'Challa, the female bodyguards, the doctors, Shuri, Steve behind him a little to his right, and turning to her on his left. She'd noticed how critical his eyes had been as he scanned the others but when he got to Steve, the stern look lessened a bit, studying the bruises and cuts scattered across James' friend's face.

She got the same treatment, though his expression was near soft, at least for the Soldier. Right up until he saw the edge of the bruise that covered her chest peeking out at the top of her shirt collar. His lips tightened into a quick frown before he turned back to the room, gaze hard at T'Challa for a split second.

One of the doctors, the woman who had figured out James' mental health, took a step forward but the alter didn't seem threatened by her. "Hello Soldier, I'm Doctor Mayosi. It is our understanding that you are one of James' alters, his last remaining one. Is that correct?"

Wanda watched as he glanced about the room again. "Yes. The others have faded, I remain." His tone of voice was similar to James' but there was a deeper quality to it, more gravelly and monotone.

"Do you mind my asking of why you remain?"

The Soldier fidgeted, shifting his weight slightly. Wanda noticed how he faced the others but kept his back to her and Steve, standing between the two groups. "I still have my missions."

The doctor's tone was even, conversational. "What are those missions?"

The answer was immediate. "Protect Jamie Barnes, protect Wanda Maximoff, protect James Barnes, protect Steve Rogers."

Wanda wasn't surprised to hear Jamie's name first. She was the same way. Her daughter came first, always. She was however surprised to hear her own name held above James'. In hindsight it made sense considering what happened those years ago, she just didn't think he remembered.

Wanda could sense Doctor Mayosi's curiosity. She must have caught the specific wording. "May I ask, is there significance to the order of names?"

For a second it seemed like he wouldn't answer but he did, his voice steady. "My existence is to protect James Barnes, however he asked that Jamie Barnes take priority. Steve Rogers is James' best friend, but he is fully capable of defending himself post serum. Wanda Maximoff is also capable of defending herself, however, she was a mission assigned to me. Explicit instructions were that she take priority over James Barnes."

The group was surprised by this admission. Wanda could see Steve glance over at her, speaking for the first time since the Soldier made his appearance. "Who assigned the Maximoff mission and when?"

Wanda knew Steve was thinking about Hydra. But no, they had had a different mission regarding her.

The Soldier took a quick look at Steve before turning his attention back to the Wakandan assembly, keeping them in his sights. "James Barnes, over two years ago."

All at once the whole group turned to look at Wanda causing her to fidget under their stares. Steve knew she'd been with Hydra before Ultron, but she wasn't sure if the others knew she'd once been an enemy of the Avengers.

Shuri, ever curious and innocent, looked like she was gonna ask how James and her had known each other. Which was something she didn't want to reveal. Not until James knew properly himself and only if he wanted others to know their history.

"How did James and Wanda–"

Luckily there was a chirping sound that rang out, cutting off the princess' question. Wanda let out a breath as the room's attention went to one of T'Challa's bodyguards. She watched as the woman's bracelet lit up and some kind of hologram appeared in her palm, speaking in the Wakandan language. The technology looked far more advanced than Tony's, she wanted to smirk thinking of his reaction to such a thing. Wait…that looked like the woman who was watching Jamie.

The bodyguard, which Wanda was sure was called Okoye, seemed surprised. She frowned at the image, muttering a few words, her eyes lifting up to met Wanda's across the room. The Sokovian mother's fear skyrocketed.

She walked toward the group, the Soldier her shadow as he strode silently next to her. "What's wrong? Is it Jamie? What's wrong with Jamie?"

Concerned Steve joined them as they awaited answers. Okoye continued to talk to the caller but T'Challa looked up at them. "Your daughter has somehow disappeared."

Wanda's heart seized. "What!?"

"How? What happened?" The change was so swift she hadn't even noticed. James was at her side, the concern and protectiveness gushing out of him.

T'Challa returned his attention to the hologram but he continued. "She grew bored and wanted to see both you and Sergeant Barnes but she was told she needed to wait. Ayeko remembers nothing. One second your daughter is standing before her, demanding to see you and the next she is alone in the room, the child gone."

Wanda's breath came in pants, the panic seizing her. What if someone saw her? They were suppose to be in hiding, they couldn't be caught in the king of Wakanda's palace. Wanda's scarlet flared through the lab, surging through the walls as the red mist sought out her daughter.

 _"Mama! Mama, can you hear me! Where are you?"_

Wanda gasped, Jamie's internal monologue catching her attention. She was heading toward them, in the hallway outside the lab one floor above. At once both super soldiers looked up the spiraling pathway, no doubt hearing Jamie as she got closer.

Her father took off, sprinting up the ramp with Steve a few seconds behind while Wanda manipulated her scarlet, launching herself up and reaching the second landing where the hallways began. James fell into step next to her, Jamie's godfather marching behind them. Below she heard T'Challa bark an order and more footsteps rushed up the ramp.

They'd only turned one corner when curly-haired Jamie came walking into view, her attention on the blue walls covered in Wakandan script.

 _"Jamie!"_

 _"Jamie!"_

Wanda's voice echoed in the small space, James' own relief laden call blending with hers. The Sokovian rushed up, collapsing to her knees and wrapping her arms around Jamie in a tight hug.

 _"Mama what's wrong?"_

Wanda didn't speak for a second, just breathed in her daughter's scent to reassure herself. Jamie was fine, she was okay. On her right James crouched down and Wanda was surprised by how much his presence was such a balm for her. But she knew why. If anything or anyone had hurt or taken their daughter, James would not have stopped until she was recovered and those responsible were hurt or possible killed. That was fine with Wanda. They would know the wrath of the Winter Soldier and the Scarlet Witch because she would be right next to him, wreaking havoc on anyone who hurt their child.

She finally let go of Jamie, slumping against James as he reached out and tucked a loose curl behind their daughter's ear before he pressed a kiss her head.

 _"Daddy, are you okay? What's wrong with Mama? And why does Uncle Steve look funny."_

Wanda let out a shaking laugh, turning around to see Steve with a concerned yet relieved expression that he was trying to hide with a smile but it ended up looking like an ugly grimace. Behind him was T'Challa and the others but they were several respectable feet back.

She turned back around to see James smile at Jamie despite the tightness around his eyes and corner of his lips. _"Oh Jamie, Uncle Steve always looks funny."_

Jamie grinned and giggled, matching James' own mischievous smile as she glanced behind Wanda and James to the aforementioned man.

Her father took a breath. _"Me and Mama were scared because you disappeared from the room."_

Jamie's grin died away and Wanda turned her slightly to meet her eyes. "Jamie, why did you leave the room? We were going to come back."

The toddler looked at both her and James, then glanced behind them at their audience. She looked down, giving a shrug as she played with her shirt. While Jamie was highly intelligent, she had her moments where she somewhat acted her age. Like now. Glancing back at Steve, she didn't need to say anything as he was already nodding and turning to corral the Wakandans back down to the lab, leaving the trio alone.

Once it was all quiet James tried this time. _"Jamie, we wouldn't have left you. What happened?"_

Wanda watched, heart wrenched as Jamie looked up at her father, her eyes gathering tears as she shakily spoke. _"I-I got scared."_

Wanda bit her lip, trying to calm herself. _"Of what Baby? You know me and your father and Uncle Steve would never let anything happen to you."_

Jamie shook her head, hair swaying with the motion, her little lips shaking. _"Not me. I was scared someone took you and Daddy away."_

Wanda cooed at her daughter, trying to calm her. _"Oh Jamie. Why would you think that? We're not going anywhere."_

For some reason the dam broke. Jamie began crying earnestly as she spoke quickly. _"The lady wouldn't tell me where you were or that I can see you and I got scared. Uncle Pietro said they would take you away. That's what everyone was yelling about when you were reading that big book. That they would make Uncle Tony and Uncle Rhodey take you away and take me away. I don't want them to take me away from you. I wanna stay with you and Daddy and Uncle Pietro and Uncle Steve. I don't wanna go! And then they wanted to hurt Daddy but they can't Mama, he just got here. I don't want them to take him away."_

Wanda brought Jamie into another hug, rubbing her daughter's back to calm her but also to keep her from seeing Wanda's own tears. It seemed Jamie was developing some sort of mental ability, that was the only way Wanda could explain how she'd gotten past the Dora Milaje watching her but also how she knew about them fighting over the Accords. She'd used her scarlet to block the sound but she'd must have listened in somehow on one of the others.

James, after having tensed up when Jamie had talked about Tony and Colonel Rhodes separating them, finally relaxed, wrapping his arm around Jamie's back and kissing her head. _"I promise, Jamie, that I won't leave you. And I'll fight back if someone tries. I promise to make sure Mama won't be taken either. I'll do all I can to protect us, okay?"_

Wanda knew she should say something. Berate him for promising Jamie such a thing. There was no guarantee he could do it. But she didn't care. Jamie had settled down, basking in the knowledge that her father would protect her family and, honestly, Wanda also relished the vow. She had another person who would fight to keep them together. She pressed herself a bit closer to James, trying to let him know she appreciated it.

 _"Okay, Daddy."_ Jamie paused for a second before she spoke again, this time sounding curious. _"Daddy, who's that?"_

Wanda paused, feeling James pull away to properly look at his daughter. She found herself doing the same, gaze bouncing between the two Barnes'.

James glanced at Wanda for a second before returning Jamie's questioning expression. _"What do you mean Jamie? There's no one else here, Uncle Steve took everyone downstairs."_

The chestnut-haired child shook her head. _"Not them."_ She reached a hand out, going slow and gently brushing against his temple. _"Him. The one talking to you in there."_

This time James' glance at Wanda was wide-eyed, startled and slightly panicked. She felt the same. Jamie was developing mental abilities, but unlike herself the toddler didn't visibly show it. And she had heard the Soldier in James' head.

Licking her lips Wanda looked to the man on her right but he still seemed panicked and certainly speechless so she continued, speaking slowly in case he didn't want her to tell their daughter. _"Jamie… do you remember what I said? About the people who hurt your Daddy?"_

Steel blue eyes narrowed, her lips set in a frown. Jamie always reacted this way whenever someone brought up what happened to James, protective of her father. _"Yeah, the Hydra people hurt Daddy really badly and made him do bad stuff."_

Wanda nodded, glancing at James who was now trying to curl in on himself. She pressed herself against him for a second, in both silent protest but also reassurance. _"The man you're hearing in Daddy's head is someone who protected him when Hydra would try to hurt him. Your Daddy would go asleep while the other man made sure he couldn't feel the pain. He made sure your Daddy could come back as himself, as Bucky."_

Jamie was quiet, eyebrows furrowed as she thought. _"So the man in Daddy's head protected him from Hydra? So he could be Bucky and Daddy when he came back?"_

Close enough, Wanda would have to explain more when Jamie got older but she felt this was a good first step. _"Yes. He protects Daddy but also you and me."_

Jamie's eyes lit up. _"Really?"_

She nodded. _"Daddy asked him to protect us."_

Jamie smiled, looking to James. _"Daddy, can I meet him?"_

Wanda looked over at James, gauging his reaction. He'd said that the Soldier was protective of Jamie and the Soldier himself had said one of his missions was to protect their daughter and herself.

James looked unsure, eyes searching out the Sokovian, deferring to Wanda for that particular request. _"As long as your Mama is okay with it."_

The toddler turned to her, eyes wide and begging. Wanda wasn't sure why she was trying this tactic. It had never worked on her; although Pietro, Steve, and Sam always ended up crumbling immediately. But she didn't see the harm. It might even be good for them to meet in a controlled environment with no stress. It would also help with the scans no doubt.

 _"I think that should be fine."_

Jamie cheered, grabbing at Wanda and James' hands, pulling them toward the spiraled ramp. Wanda easily kept up, glancing at the elder Barnes next to her. He was worried, she could see that, so when she caught his eye she smiled at him, giving a small nod. It seemed to help a little, some of the tension leaving his shoulders as they made their way down the ramp to the others.

The Wakandans had returned to their previous spots but Steve had posted himself at the bottom of the walkway, arms crossed and worry easing out of him. He was in the perfect position to run straight back up to them if need be but also make sure they had their privacy as a family.

"Salut oncle Steve!" Jamie let go of their hands when they were a few feet from the bottom, jumping and throwing herself at Steve. He managed to turn around in time to catch her mid-jump.

He smiled big at his goddaughter, returning her hug. "Salut Jamie."

She continued talking in French to Steve, James now joining in the conversation while Wanda kept going, walking over to T'Challa.

"Sorry about Jamie. The Accords have her tense. When she was told she couldn't see us she thought you had taken us away. As for your bodyguard, it seems Jamie has some sort of mental ability she might have used. I'm sorry for the trouble."

T'Challa smiled gently, shaking his head. "No trouble, she loves her family. She would do what she can to protect them. It is noble of her."

Wanda looked over, seeing Jamie had been transferred to her father, one arm around his neck while she was pointing at Steve, her lips smiling as she spoke. Wanda turned to the Shuri who was standing next to T'Challa. "Jamie noticed the Soldier and would like to meet him. Is that okay?"

The teenager nodded, the barest hint of apprehension. "That is fine. Are you okay with it Miss Maximoff?"

"Wanda." She corrected automatically, looking over at her small family. "Yes, I have no worries."

With that everyone was back in their places from before, although Wanda was now sitting on the bench James had previously sat on, the little child placed on her lap. Steve, in his worry, stood on her right with a few feet between them. Wanda was sure he was trying not to look like a threat to their daughter but also be there in case something happened and he needed to get between James and herself. The man in question stood in front of them, facing the Wakandans with clenched fists.

Like before Wanda watched as James, with tucked shoulders in an attempt to make himself look as none threatening as possible, sent her and Jamie a wary glance before he turned to look at the Wakandans. The change was immediate and she felt the familiar aura of the Soldier as he held himself upright, using all of James' mass and height to his advantage.

 _"Ohhh…"_ Jamie seemed fascinated, squirming on her lap to be released. The Soldier of course caught the sound, turning to glance at the child. Wanda was sure there had been the faint curling of a smile when he laid eyes on Jamie.

 _"Mama, can you put me down?"_ Jamie was mystified, watching the person who had taken over her father's body for the moment. Wanda wondered if the toddler was sensing what she was when James had shifted, the two distinct auras swapping. She'd have to talk to her daughter when they had a moment.

She looked up at the Soldier, who watched her as she loosened her arms around the child. She nodded at him, confidant in James. He had given the Soldier a mission, to protect their daughter. She had nothing to be afraid of, at least when he wasn't being controlled by the words. But that was the reason for being here.

The Soldier returned the gesture but did cut his eyes to Steve. Instead of hostility Wanda watched as he titled his head slightly to the side and gave a faint jerk behind him. Steve stood a bit straighter and gave a sharp nod before walking forward and standing a little ways in front of the small family. Oh. The Soldier was asking Steve to watch the Wakandans. He wouldn't allow Jamie to stand out in the open, between him and T'Challa's group, thus trusting James' friend to watch his back. Interesting.

The Soldier did just that, turning his back and crouching down as Jamie came to a halt in front of him. She was no longer mystified, just watching the Soldier carefully, hardly blinking. Wanda hoped Jamie wasn't trying to read James' or the Soldier's mind.

 _"You protected Daddy?"_

He gave a nod.

 _"And you protect me and Mama?"_

Another nod but this time he added words. _"Your father asked that I protect his family."_

Wanda watched as Jamie nodded back, almost sagely. But then she squinted her eyes in possible slight confusion. _"Wait, is Daddy's name your name or do have your own?"_

It was such a random topic but Wanda wasn't surprised by the sudden change. Jamie tended to say things like this during important or serious moments.

 _"I have no name."_

Jamie seemed scandalized. _"Everyone has a name. I'm Jamie Barnes. My middle name is Milena, from my grandma. And Jamie because of Daddy. So what's yours?"_

He shook his head. _"I wasn't born. I just was. So I have no name."_

Jamie seemed thoughtful. _"What do people call you then? Mama and Daddy are Mama and Daddy but people call them Wanda and James. So what do people call you?"_

The Soldier was quiet. _"My designation is—"_

Wanda frown. The word wasn't Sokovian but the Soldier had said it with a bit of a Russian accent. So it must be a Russian name. She mouthed the word as she'd heard the alter say it. Sulldot? Or perhaps Soledot? Or was it Soledat?

Jamie looked confused, repeating the same term before switching back to Sokovian. _"'Soldier?' People call you Soldier?"_

That was true, they had all been calling the alter that. James had never mentioned a name, always just Soldier. Apparently Jamie had a problem with it. She curled her lip in bewilderment before shaking her head.

 _"No. That's not a name. That's a…"_ Jamie paused here, slightly confused and seeming to think before she plowed forward. _"…a noun! No, you need a name name."_

Jamie's eyes furrowed and her lips twisted in thought, making little humming sounds under her breath as she rocked a bit back and forth on her heels. Wanda smiled at the sight. Jamie was going to actually name James' most feared alter.

Inspiration must have struck because Wanda felt the onset of joy before Jamie gasped, eyes lighting up as she smiled at the Soldier. _"You can be_ Sully _!"_

Wanda let the smile she'd been holding back curl her lips. For such a personality to have the name Sully was funny yet sweet somehow. The young mother was sure she knew where her daughter had gotten the name from and she wasn't disappointed when Jamie kept going, smiling the entire time.

 _"Yeah, you're_ Sully _and I'm like_ Boo _. You're not furry but you're big and you look scary but you're just like_ Kitty _so—"_ Jamie suddenly gasped, leaning around the newly christened Sully to point at Steve. _"That means Uncle Steve is_ Mike Wazowski _!"_

Wanda couldn't help it. She really couldn't. She threw her head back, laugh echoing in the laboratory as she tried belatedly to muffle it with a hand to her lips. Steve as Mike Wazowski. She let out another laugh. The small Sokovian family had watched the movie a few months ago and it had been enjoyed by all three of them. And honestly, she could see the connection her daughter had made by naming the Winter Soldier personality Sully. Plus it shared the same first syllable as the Russian word he'd spoken.

"Sully?" The newly named alter repeated, trying it out Wanda supposed. Jamie watched him, smirk on her face and seemingly quite proud of herself. The young mother suddenly hoped the serious faced stand-in didn't upset her daughter.

 _"It's an acceptable designation. A…good name."_

Jamie's grin widened and did something that had the whole room tensing. She lunged forward quickly, wrapping her arms around her father's body in a hug.

Wanda could feel the scarlet bubbling under the surface but she let it go when seeing Sully's face. He seemed confused, unsure about what to do with Jamie's gesture. It was oddly endearing. 2319! We have a 2319! Wanda grinned at the movie trivia that flashed in her head.

Wanda felt the barest of flares from James and Sully took whatever cue he seemed to give him. Slowly James's right arm came up and awkwardly patted the toddler's shoulder. She grinned at the display, but she also knew they needed to get more work done. She stood up and called to her child. _"Jamie, come. I'll take you back to our room while Sully, your father, and Steve talk to T'Challa."_

Jamie glanced back before giving Sully another hug, her arms squeezing the man again. _"Thank you for keeping Daddy safe."_ She then turned her head and gave a quick peck to his cheek.

The alter's bewildered expression was once more endearing but also sad. No one had ever deemed or seen him as something other than dangerous, something to be feared when all he had done was try and protect James and the others. Until now. Jamie leaned back, looking a bit shy as she addressed the personality. _"Sully, can I say bye to Daddy before I go?"_

He nodded and Wanda felt the switch, one aura pulling inward while the other blossomed out. His aura was warm, his eyes blinking before turning soft and gazing down his daughter. James smiled. _"Hi Jamie."_

The chestnut-haired child answered his grin. _"Hi Daddy. I'm gonna go with Mama back to the room but I wanted to say bye. But I'll see you again right?"_

Jamie's concern was fair and James placated her with a gentle smile. _"Yes, after we're done I'll come back. Maybe we'll take a look around if we ask T'Challa?"_

Jamie nodded, slowly reaching up and hugging her father. _"Bye, Daddy."_

Wanda couldn't help the swelling of emotion in her chest, seeing Jamie and her father hug each other or the smile on her face when she saw James' expression as he hugged her back. Eyes shut, he seemed concentrated on absorbing his daughter's love for him as much as possible. At least that's what she did.

They separated, this time Jamie placing a delicate kiss to her father's lips. _"Love you Daddy."_

James responded, kissing her forehead. _"Love you too Jamie. Now go with Mama, and behave okay?"_

Jamie bobbed her head in agreement, running over and grasping Wanda's offered hand. The toddler turned to the familiar towering blonde man, waving at him. "Bye Uncle Steve."

Her godfather waved back, giving her a smile. "See you later Jamie."

Wanda sent Steve a smile before turning to James who was already gazing at her. _"I'll be back soon."_

He nodded and she turned away with their daughter, making her way back up the ramp, following the Dora Milaje that lead the way back to their suite.

Now that Wanda wasn't facing them she could let the worried frown return. When she came back they would be continuing to the next scenario. The words that would trigger Sully's protective mode. And she was terrified.

* * *

 **So yeah, there you go. For real should only be one more chapter. The next one kinda takes place during Black Panther so I'll probably place it in the crossover section. And DID really does exist. Let me know what you guys think! Hopefully see you soon. Peace out. -Mez**


	10. Chapter 10

**Well, here we are, the last chapter of Mirage. There will be at least two more sequels. One that's Post-CW and Pre-BP with some BP. The third one will deal with IW. That'll be interesting. Thank you all who read this, either on your own or from reading jinXed and making your way here. Here are the people who favorited, reviewed, and followed since the last chapter: GeographicallyDisplaced, elljayde, and dethwatch. Also Jamie is speaking Spanish in the beginning of this chapter, using (*) to show that. But regular italic is still spoken Sokovian. On ward!**

* * *

Bucky smiled as Jamie held up another drawing, her voice excited as she pointed to the mess of turquoise on the paper, her Spanish having advanced to full sentences after only two days of him teaching her.

* _"And this is Uncle Pietro when he runs really fast but you can't really see him except for this pretty color. I don't know why though."*_ She picked up another drawling filled with stick figures, pointing out who she'd replicated. * _"That's Mama and Uncle Pietro, and Uncle Steve. And this one's Uncle Sam and…"*_

She continued on but Bucky took a quick glance at Wanda who stood near by, her eyes roving about the Wakandan medical wing. She was worried, he could tell by her crossed arms and tucked shoulders, but this was for the best.

That first day, after Wanda had taken Jamie back to their room and returned, they'd needed to do the words and he'd surprised her and everyone else by saying that she had to be the one to say the triggers. When Sully (the name was still funny to Bucky) was activated the handler was completely off limits. Sully would obey them no matter what and protect them from any threats.

Which was why he'd wanted Wanda to do it. He couldn't risk her, not with Jamie waiting for her to return.

He could see how much it bothered the Sokovian. The words were painful, a flash of the torture used for each Russian term coming back to him fresh in his mind. He hadn't meant to yell or scream but the remembrance was too strong at times. She'd started crying at one point, saying she couldn't continue but he'd pleaded with her. This needed to happen. He'd never be free from Hydra unless they finished.

It took a bit but she did complete the sequence and Bucky had blacked out, Sully taking over. It hadn't been long according to his alter, only a few minutes so Shuri could get her scans and then Sully had pulled away so he was in control again.

T'Challa gave him a firm nod, trying to keep the sympathy off his face but Bucky could see it in his eyes. Okoye had bowed her head at him, her face impassive but he liked to think there was a bit of respect in the lines of her lips. Steve, of course, looked horrible. Sad eyes and slumped shoulders. Bucky hadn't wanted him to be there but the damn punk was too stubborn. As for Wanda, she hadn't been in the room when he came back to himself. Steve had said she'd had to leave the lab.

He'd found her afterward, red-eyed and pale, apologizing but she'd waved it off. She understood why he'd chosen her but it had still made her uneasy knowing she'd be causing him pain.

That was two days ago.

In the mean time, he'd made good on his promise to Jamie. The visiting group had asked T'Challa if they were allowed to take a look around. Not only had he approved wholeheartedly, he'd given them the tour personally. Shuri had tagged along, pointing out things and making jokes at her brother's expense. It reminded Bucky of the way him and his siblings would act with each other, especially his sister. The teasing back and forth was welcoming.

The Wakandan princess and Jamie had bonded immediately when it was discovered how smart his daughter was. It made him happy that Jamie could continue learning even though they were in hiding. Wanda had explained to him how it was almost impossible to find things to mentally stimulate the toddler.

Shuri took it as a personal challenge.

But today was different than the carefree atmosphere of yesterday. For one he was hooked up to last minute fluids and he'd changed clothes, white scrub pants and a matching muscle shirt. Another was the looming cryrogenic chamber behind Wanda. He could see her eyeing it warily every few minutes. He knew she had issues with his decision, as did Steve, but she didn't voice them. Which was the opposite of Steve.

But the two of them had talked and Wanda had offered something he was still thinking about. Most of her abilities were mental based which put him a bit on edge but what she was talking about was different. She could project into his head but she wouldn't actually be **in** his head. She wanted to show him what Jamie was doing while he slept, either in real time or memories from the day. Her link would be limited as well. He would see her memories of Jamie or see through her own eyes but he wouldn't be able to see anything else, any thoughts or other memories other than what she was showing him.

And the same went for her. She was only projecting, she wasn't in his head so she hear or see anything he would be dreaming about or seeing any of the nightmares he had, the memories that bothered him even in cryrosleep. It was tempting. He didn't want her in his head. He'd had enough people digging around it to last him lifetimes but he was mostly scared.

If she knew, if she really knew and saw what he'd done? If she saw all the necks he'd broken or the headshots taken? It didn't matter if it was Sully. It was **his** body doing it. He hadn't been strong enough. He'd let them win.

And if she saw that? Everything up until that point wouldn't matter anymore, she would look at him differently.

His other fear, one so potent to the point of nausea and shaking hands, was Jamie. Wanda had told him her suspicions of Jamie's emerging abilities and the fact that his daughter could possibly get into his head and see what he'd done while embedded with Hydra was his greatest horror.

"Uncle Steve!"

Bucky broke out of his thoughts, watching as Jamie gathered up several drawings and ran to Steve who was walking toward the small group, stopping him by showing off each piece of paper she held.

 _"It'll be fine."_

His words seemed to startle Wanda who looked away from their daughter, green eyes trying to hide her concern. She only nodded.

 _"You don't like my decision."_ It was a statement.

She gave off a hum, her lips curling into a tired smile. _"It doesn't matter. What matters is that it's_ _ **your**_ _decision."_

They were quiet for a few seconds, listening and watching as Jamie showed off another drawing to her patient Godfather.

 _"Okay. We'll do it."_

She looked over at him, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

 _"You know I'm not a big fan of people in my head, and thanks for respecting that, but…"_ He paused, watching Jamie laugh at a joke Steve had just told her. _"…I don't wanna miss her growing up anymore."_

 _"Neither do I."_

The silent moment stretched between them enough that Steve looked up at them questioningly. Wanda seemed to take that as a some kind of cue. She looked down at her feet. _"It'd probably make sense for me to keep the memories of the day and share them in the evening. It that alright?"_

He gave her a soft smile and nod. _"However you wanna do it."_

A nurse came over, nodding at them before reaching to unhook Bucky from the IV. Wanda seemed unsure about something, her fists clenching and unclenching before he saw a flash of determination in her eyes, cementing some sort of resolve in her.

She reached a hand out and ran it through the left side of his hair, tucking a few wayward bits behind his ear. Afterward she laid that same hand gently on his stubble covered cheek, maintaining eye contact. _"Come back soon, yes? Come back to Jamie."_

He heard the slightest quiver in her voice and he flexed his jaw, nearly unconscious of his chest puffing up at her words. He knew she would be by herself in the coming days, weeks, and possible months taking care of their daughter. Steve was determined to rescue the others, including her brother, but an operation like that took time, took careful planning, and then they would have to drop the others off to hide away. Chances are Steve would wait until it was completely safe before bringing Pietro to Wakanda. Who knew how long that would be. Until then it would just be her and Jamie in a country where the citizens would not be happy if they happened to find out the Scarlet Witch was within their borders.

He really hoped Shuri could figure his head out as soon as possible. He couldn't leave them defenseless.

Bucky locked eyes with her, giving a firm nod. _"I'll be back. As soon as I can."_

She watched him for a second, looking for something in his expression. She must of found it because the tension in her shoulders let up and she pulled away. She glanced to her left and Bucky followed her line of sight just in time to see Steve look back down at Jamie. Punk had seen their exchange and now Wanda refused to look at him, her cheeks a rosy tint.

 _"You probably want to talk to Steve. I'll just grab Jamie and we'll give you some privacy."_

A pang of something flowed through him as she walked away without another glance, stopping to briefly say hello to Steve before speaking with Jamie and walking further off to stand at the large floor-to-ceiling windows on the other side of the wing.

Steve made his way over to him, glancing back to where Wanda was crouched down and talking to Jamie, before turning back to smirk softly at Bucky.

"Leave it alone Punk." He'd seen how Steve watching a few seconds ago had made Wanda uncomfortable and he didn't want his friend making her feel worse.

"What? What did I do? I haven't done or said anything." Steve's wide eyes and earnest expression displayed absolute innocence that could fool the masses.

Unless you were Bucky Barnes.

He gave his blonde friend a slight frown and quirked eyebrow causing Steve to give off a light chuckle. The mood took a different direction when the super soldier glanced at the pod Bucky was going to be staying in.

Steve let out a sigh. "You sure about this?"

Bucky studied the machine, different than the dark one used in Siberia. "I can't trust my own mind, Steve." He gave a huff, letting his eyes cut over to Wanda and his daughter. "Those words are still out there. And I can't take that chance. Not with Jamie and Wanda. I know Sully would protect them, he would, but if someone were to get their hands on those words? It would be pointless. If something were to happen to them because of me? If someone made me…" Bucky stopped, looking down so he could fight back the nausea crawling up his throat. He couldn't think about it. He had early this morning and it caused him to be sick in the bathroom of his suite.

He took in a breath to calm himself before continuing. "I can't risk it, Steve. I just can't. So until Shuri can figure out how to get those words out of my head, this is what's best. For everyone." He looked back up at Steve, his friend's face calm but slightly grim. He nodded at Bucky.

"Sergeant Barnes? We're ready." He'd known Shuri was near by and had heard her inch her way forward, waiting until they were done talking before announcing her presence.

It was time.

~~~Mirage~~~

Steve watched from his spot by the windows as Jamie sat completely still, her gaze fixated on Bucky's frozen capsule. Wanda was sitting on the floor with her, the toddler on her lap while she ran her hand softly and slowly through the little girl's hair. He knew the motion soothed Jamie but he was sure it also helped Wanda when she was stressed.

He'd seen the exchange between his two friends and it had given him some hope. Bucky deserved peace, deserved a life.

For as long as Steve could remember, Bucky wasn't one for fighting or violence. Sure he was physically capable, a three-time boxing champion, but he wasn't the type to abuse that power or use it to lord over others. He only acted in self-defense. It was one of the reasons Steve was so adamant about joining the Army. He'd always felt that Bucky being drafted had been because he couldn't go. His peaceful friend had had to take Steve's place in a war he wanted nothing to do with.

While Bucky may have had a reputation with the ladies he was always respectful to whoever he was spending time with, never seeing more then one girl at a time, taking care of them. And while it seemed Buck was just having fun, Steve had known at the time, had absolutely known that his friend was in fact a family man. He knew that once Bucky found that one dame, that would be it. Buck would remember no other woman before and no other woman would exist after.

And children? Steve had seen how Bucky was with his siblings, how he was with other younger neighborhood kids. Bucky loved kids and Steve know he would absolutely adore and spoil his own.

Then the war and Hydra had happened. Bucky had been altered, irrevocably, and Steve hadn't been sure Bucky would get his chance.

But now? Seeing Wanda and him interact, seeing Jamie's face light up when she was picked up by Bucky, it gave him hope that Bucky could have a good life. A life with Jamie and maybe with Wanda. It would be nice, for both of them.

He knew there had been others who'd expressed an interest in Wanda. A few brave Shield agents who were usually deterred by the combined forces of Pietro and Clint. He'd seen Vision take an interest, trying to spend time with Wanda, just asking questions of her or talking to her. Something could have grown between the pair but Wanda hadn't the time for that. Motherhood and family had been her priority.

First had been the days she'd dedicated to being by Pietro's side as he slept after the fight in Sokovia. Not only that but Jamie had only been four months old at the time and had needed most of her attention. After Pietro had woken up, Clint had whisked the Sokovians off to his farm, figuring the small family needed somewhere to stay while the construction of the new facility was under way. Even coming back Wanda stayed focused on being a mother and her Avenger training. There hadn't been time for socializing.

But now, with no avenging and Jamie getting more independent, it was something she could possibly think about. Chances are she would be spending much of her time with Jamie, who in turn would want to spend nearly all of her time with her father. All that time together could foster a genuine friendship which could potentially grow into something much more.

At least that was Steve's hope. He just wanted them to be happy. Them being happy together was just a bonus.

He looked away from Wanda and Jamie to his left, T'Challa's footsteps near silent as the new king joined him.

"Thank you. For this."

"My father and your friend, Sergeant Barnes. They were both victims. If I can help give one of them peace…" T'Challa trailed off, glancing over at Wanda and Jamie as they conversed quietly in Sokovian. "Family is important to me, to Wakanda. Your friend's family is small but quite precious. I wish to ensure their happiness."

Steve smiled, looking back over as Jamie's voice took on a singing quality. She was still staring up at Bucky, her mother cradling her, but her lips sang the familiar song that the blonde super soldier knew was a lullaby Wanda's own mother would sing to her when she was young.

He turned away, staring out the window as his thoughts turned in a different direction. "You know they'll come for him, for her and Jamie, if anyone finds out they're here, right?"

T'Challa's back straightened, his chin held high and jaw squared off in determination. "I made a promise to that child." His voice took on a deep, serious tone. "Let them try."

* * *

 **And thus ends the Civil War arch. I'll probably take a break from this series, finish up on jinXed and start on an A4 one-shot. Warning, it's sad. But then again its A4 so yeah, it'll be sad. Let me know what you guys have thought about this fic. I did leave a few clues about somethings that will answered in the next sequel. Thanks for reading everyone. Goodbye! Peace out. -Mez**


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